


A New Career In A New Town

by Frin



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2019-07-17 10:32:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 58,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16093865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frin/pseuds/Frin
Summary: No, he knew he had to work on his own to sort this out and running for him was the very best option. He needed to find somewhere that was completely neutral and while all the walls were still so thin he knew he could slip away undetected...An alternate love story for an alternate pair.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I usually make it a rule to only post finished titles on here, but there have been a few exceptions. I've been working on this one a while and it seems to have rather bitten me and I think it's in for the long haul so I've decided to start posting it here as well as on teaspoon... hope you enjoy...

He was miserable. They had disappeared to 'thrash things out' and had left him to himself. He knew of old what that meant. He was feeling dark and moody and desperate. He knew exactly where all this was headed and he was, under no circumstances, going to be kept as a 'pet' and nor was he going to be the 'tin dog' in this triangle.

No, he knew he had to work on his own to sort this out and running for him was the very best option. He needed to find somewhere that was completely neutral and while all the walls were still so thin he knew he could slip away undetected.

He was scared, running from this old life without his beautiful ship was going to take some doing... but he knew he had no choice.

Stuffing his pockets with everything useful he could find and taking as much of the encouraging, almost sorrowful, soothing he was getting from the rumbling corals, he set random coordinates that he knew would be extremely difficult (if at all possible) to trace.

By his calculations, he had a few moments before the Time Lord would come hurtling down the corridors, tucking in his shirt tails and buttoning his flies. It was enough time to reset coordinates on a delay and leave this old life behind and start anew.

He didn't give himself any more time to think about it and, as he was running for the scruffy white doors, he could hear his twin shouting, bare feet hitting the grating. But he was quickly out of those doors and turning to watch his wonderful TARDIS dematerialse for the really very last time.

And then he was truly alone and on that beach again. Only this time it was an entirely different beach on an entirely different parallel. 

He looked a pathetic figure hitch hiking on the road to Bergen in the rain without a coat and the first car that came along took pity on him and picked him up. The little coral warm in his pocket translated the Norwegian easily for him and he soon made friends with the burly fishermen who rather took the forlorn Englishman under their wing, feeding him warming draughts of the hot Glogg that they carried in their flasks.

So, it was a slightly tipsy man that waved them off outside the ferry in Bergen, but it had been a distraction for him. He hadn't had time to think about his plight as he approached the ticket booth, sonic and psychic paper in hand.

He was heading for London, it was the one place on Earth above all that he seemed to always want to gravitate to. He could make more solid plans once he was in as near to familiar surroundings as he could get. Being on his own would make this easier.

As he boarded the boat, he looked at the fading old moniker he always used and knew it was time to hang it up and think of a new name. 'John Smith' was just so impersonal and if he was going to make a go of this life he could never before have, then he needed to rename himself... something with meaning.

It wasn't until he was lying in the crisp cool sheets in the half dark of his cabin that he took out the memory of her rejection and relived the painful episode blow by blow...

_Course it needs saying you big oaf! Doctor, it's important you tell me... now!” He watched on, wondering at her bold exasperation, his one heart drooping inside his chest._

__

__

_“Rose... you now how I feel... but I can't offer you that happy ever after., you'll grow old...”_

_“Yeah, yeah and wither... and die... been through all of that a million times... 'forever' you promised me! Don't you fob me off with... I'm sorry... “ She had turned to face him then, finally acknowledging his existence, but only momentarily as she turned back to continue her rant._

Later on when the Time Lord had had to go and 'deal with' Donna Noble, Rose had had a brief heart to heart with him in the galley. She had been very nice, implying they could travel happily together much like the trio they had been when his face was her first face and Jack Harkness had travelled with them.

He hadn't let on how this had made him feel, although his insides had knotted together at the time. It was definitely not an option and the Time Lord had strengthened that resolve when he had had his two pennies worth a little later still... ( all the while he was painfully conscious of the thin walls of the dimensions getting thicker and of the way Rose Tyler and her Time Lord hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other).

So, yeah, it was a painful thing to lose Rose Tyler, but it was nothing new to him. He'd been living with that loss for years and he was sort of comforted by the fact that she was happy, in the TARDIS with the original man of her dreams. Although he was also discomforted by this in the same measure.

He didn't even think about the possibility of the gingerbread house phenomena of there being an alternate her, didn't even cross his mind at that point. He had too many plans to be going on with for the time being.

So he gradually built himself a domestic life on Earth. Found a job in a pharmaceutical research centre which gave him access to laboratories for his experimenting. Sonic paper was a Godsend in all things from job hunting, banking, flat hunting and even with a bit of domestic shopping it came in useful.

He began to make a name for himself in the field he'd chosen, inadvertently, he had become a healer. People took notice of him and, they sought him out. He was asked to give talks, only local at first, but over time, globally.

His lectures were renowned and from that people with ailments that cures had been elusive to also sought him out. He was a scientist... a healer... a professor... indeed the Doctor was in fact just that. He had his own clinic, his own laboratories and, in a way, his own sense of peace.

Weeks turned into months and months turned into years and before he knew it three of them had passed. He had made some friends, had avoided bumping into familiar strangers... Oh, you know, a flash of brilliant ginger hair here or talk of a promising new intern wanting to bend his ear there. He never sought out Rose and never even heard a whisper of her in all that time. He also never dated which had much speculation about his sexuality bandied around his circles but only behind his back. He knew this, but it didn't matter, shielded him from all of that in a way. 

His passions were reserved elsewhere... he had spent all his spare time concentrating on developing his little piece of coral into something rather spectacular. This was all the company he needed as the whole thing began to grow and develop and a telepathic connection was made.

If someone had stopped him and asked him why he did this, why he was so one-tracked in doing this, he would have hesitated in his response. The reason for this was because he no longer actually knew why. Because he could... because it was all he knew? 

He certainly hadn't craved the stars as he used to. All in all, he was very content with the life he had built himself.

And then, at a crucial stage of the baby coral's development, just as it was moving up a stage from coral to, well not quite a TARDIS but something close; his laboratory was raided. Out of the blue and unexpectedly.

A whole troop of Torchwood 'Ninjas' arrived, fully armed and terrifying him. It was the middle of the night, the time when he worked his best (without interruption) and it had been so quiet save the lovely humming beat from his beautiful, now not so little, Coral.

There must have been eight of them all in black and fully armed, he dropped to the floor as instructed and listened as they searched his laboratory.

“Here... this is where the signal is coming from...” said a female voice that caused alarm bells to go off inside his head. He turned to see three of them bowed over his precious baby.

“Don't touch her... you'll kill her!” he shouted out, finally finding his voice as the shock of them damaging his Coral completely outplayed the shock of their rather rude interruption.

He was allowed to stand then, and all eyes turned to him, questions in all unfamiliar eyes.... bar one.

“Can we move it?” She asked.

“Why would you need to?” His heart was in his mouth, the voice was a memory now, distant and still sometimes painful. To hear it coming from the black clad intruder who was a complete stranger was a little (well, a lot) unsettling.

“We've been monitoring this place for ages now, funny readings coming off it... off the scale tonight... need to take you in for questioning... what's your name?” She was obviously the one in charge as she asked, the seven other agents looked on, obviously waiting for her orders.

“If you've been watching this place then you'll know what my name is...”

“Yeah... Dr Noble... if that is your name... we can't let everybody go around fiddling with alien stuff... that's what our organisation is there for...”! 

“To fiddle with alien stuff?”

“No... we're here to protect the world from alien stuff!” 

“My Coral won't hurt, but you'll certainly destroy her if you remove her from her tank.”

“Fine... you two stay here and set up a watch... Dr Noble will be coming in for questioning...”

“Yes, Maam...” The two men saluted her but her second looked a little puzzled.

“Agent Tyler... just on his say so, you're using valuable man power to watch over it... don't you think we should bring it in too... I mean the power we've recorded it generating would be worth analysing to say the least...”

He began to splutter something but she, always a force to be reckoned with; rounded on her second in command.

“I'm using my better judgement, something I'm renowned for. We take the doctor in for questioning and see what we're up against. I don't appreciate you undermining me, particular not in front of our suspect!”

“Suspect? What have I done?” He spoke up now, an anger beginning to burn inside. What right had they to barge in like this?

“Well... we don't know yet, but some thing's well off... and you've got some explaining to do.”

“Supposing I don't want to come?” 

“You have no choice, sorry mate, until this is all explained... you and this are property of Torchwood.” She waved her hand at his beautiful Coral and glared at him, challenging him.

He decided that arguing wasn't worth it, he would be better off going with them and trying to convince them that what he was doing was harmless. Also, the fact that she was there, working for Torchwood intrigued him. After staying away for so long, he now needed to know.

She sat with him in the car, and as they were on the way, he couldn't work out whether she was just being genuinely friendly, or whether this was part of her interviewing strategy.

“So, Dr Noble... is that what you want me to call you?”

“Doctor, is fine...”

“The name's Tyler... Jackie Tyler...”

“Yeah... I know who you are... I'd just really like to know... where's Rose?”


	2. Chapter 2

His face smarted with the back hander she had landed across his right cheek and he clutched it as he observed the irate woman in front of him coming slightly undone.

“Rose? What the bleedin' hell... why are you... how did you...” He was mildly amused at his ability to still be able to fluster Jackie Tyler, even though she was an alternative version, one who seemed to be very much her daughter's mother. This in itself he found alarmingly awesome, no strike that... both alarming and awesome in equal measures.

“Sorry, Jackie, I didn't mean to overstep the boundaries....” He interrupted her indignant blustering and she stopped, eyes slitted and lips pursed.

“Where do you think you get off calling me by my first name and asking me questions about my daughter... how did you even _know_ about her?”

This had him somewhat worried. The Jackie Tyler he knew would have expected the whole world to know about her Rose.

“I... I'm not sure... could I have read about her somewhere?” He fished around, needing to find both a way out from Jackie Tyler's clutches and also what had happened to Rose Tyler of this Universe.

“You're not some kind of spy, are you? Oh, God, don't tell me you're from that UNIT lot?”

And there it was, a possible escape route from the whole problem provided the UNIT password stood the bridges of the divide of an Alternate Universe. It was worth a try, though, surely?

“Contact the Brigadier and tell him 'Buffalo'...” he murmured hoping upon hope that he might get away with this and he could only tell by Jackie's face that, indeed, he had. The blinkers had come down and she was ordering the driver to stop.

“My instructions are to leave you well alone upon hearing that... however...word of advice, Dr Noble, you should consider some kind of dampener on your little experiment back there.. if we can hear you then you can bank on it that others will pick up on it and your poxy little password won't help you from up there!” She pointed towards the sky as she said this, knowing that he would get exactly what she meant.

“You're, going to make me walk back? Mrs.Tyler, after you physically assaulted me, you're lucky if you don't get sacked!” He decided to put on an act of pompous indignation to prolong the time spent with her and he clutched his left cheek to emphasise his point.

Jackie grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him towards her, face right up in his.

“That's Commander Tyler to you, and as for the assault, it was merely a reaction to a personal comment, and I think you'll find it was the other cheek!” She let go and sat back observing him, waiting for his next move but also, it seemed like she wanted to ask him something.

“Where is she?” he asked her quietly and Jackie blinked back, partly in shock at his boldness and partly (and only a few people would be able to read this) in a glaze of tears.

“How do you know about her, haven't had contact with her in over seven years, not since she left... do you know her? Oh, my God, do I know you? Am I the victim of some memory wipe or something?”

“No, this isn't Men In Black, Jackie, I may have known Rose Tyler a while back, but it just seems a bit weird that she isn't in contact with you, you used to be so close... where did she go?” His heart was in his mouth at the thought of Rose travelling around the Universe with someone that wasn't him.

“Well, that's put paid for that... n'stop calling me Jackie. If you had known her, then you would know that she ain't used Tyler since she left. She's Rose Stone, has been since she was seventeen, wasn't even allowed to go to her wedding, bloody Jimmy wasn't having none of it.” She clammed up, staring at him with big rounded blue eyes in shock at herself.

“Jimmy... Stone?” he said quietly, all the blood draining from his face.

“Yeah, bloody Jimmy Stone... 'ere you all right, you've gone white as a ghost?”

The next minute his head was bowed down towards his lap and he could hear Jackie telling the driver to go somewhere.

“Where are we going?” he asked after a long pause.

“Gonna buy you a cup of hot sweet tea, know just the place, you're in shock... patch you up and then we'll take you back. No harm done, right?”

...

They sat opposite each other, both needing to say something and neither one of them sure where to begin. It was Jackie that surprisingly took the initiative.

“I don't know who you are, don't know where you come from, but it's clear to me that you know way more than you're letting on... you know Rose? How could you know her, Jimmy never lets her out... unless you knew her before him, in which case that would make you some kind of pervert... is she in some kind of trouble?”

“If she's with Jimmy Stone then yes... married to him you say?”

“Who the bleedin' hell are you? Some mate of her Dad's? Well you can tell Pete Tyler from me that it's too little too late... should have done summat about it all them years ago...”

“I don't know Pete... you're not together?”

“You're not from around here are ya? No, Pete Tyler left me high and dry when his company took off... must be ten years now.... kitted himself out with some supermodel, she left him after a year, took most of his money with her. Tried to win me back, wasn't having none of it. You seem to have a way about you, got more personal information out of me than my entire team have in a year.”

“You kept the name?”

“Only to wind him up at first... then I felt like I had earnt it, when I went to Torchwood and got promoted, well, it was Jackie Tyler that done that.”

“And Rose?” He nodded sagely, a nasty pit of worry settling in his stomach.

“She took it all so badly, she was so angry and Jimmy just fed off of that... next thing I know, I'm cut out of her life as well as her Dad, only time I've asked him for help since he left. Useless “You can count on me” not for anything... not ever.” Jackie looked bitterly at a poster on the wall, then blinked and looked back at him in shock. “Who _are_ you?”

“You wouldn't believe me even if I could tell you, “ he said softly and she nodded, accepting the way of life she was caught up in as his cover.

“You'd be good over at my place, getting information off the visitors...”

“And you haven't seen her in seven years?”

“Went round there a lot in the first few weeks, months maybe. But she was cruel, kept an eye on her at a distance over the years, bailed her out of trouble... shoplifting and that... she don't know it was me though...”

“Doesn't sound like her...”

“How do you know that? Look, I've had enough, I don't know how you got all that out of me, but I'm not sitting around to let you drain me dry... I have work to do.”

“I'm sorry to keep you Commander Tyler. Thank you for the tea. I'm sure I can find my own way back from here...” Jackie observed him quizzically, then nodded, scraped her chair back and stood.

“Well, take note about what I said about your little experiment back there, it's very noisy and you don't want to be attracting anyone from off world. A filter should do the trick. If you ever did want a change, Torchwood is a consideration. We're still at Canary Wharf, just ask to see me, and that should get you through. Dr, Noble.” She put out her hand roughly and he took it as he stood with a nod. 

And then she was gone, leaving him with a sorrowful information download. He sat again rather abruptly. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he set up a search for one Rose Stone. Obviously, the choices that had been made on this world had damaged the Tyler family completely. He just needed to see if she was happy, that she didn't need rescuing...


	3. Chapter 3

The estate seemed a lot bleaker than he remembered. As he sat on a wall observing the block of flats he had located her in, he looked about him and felt nothing about the place. It might be the same one but it really wasn't and the only thing that was keeping him from leaving was the hope of seeing her familiar face.

He saw Jimmy Stone leaving in the morning and no one had come out or gone in since. Even the curtains remained drawn. Finally, when he was just about to give up, the door opened and a woman stepped out looking about her furtively, then head down she made her way towards town. He followed, not even sure if it was her but needing to see for himself either way.

She walked quickly without looking about her and soon reached the little shop that sat on the outskirts of the estate. He followed her in and spent time studying the jam section as she carefully moved about the two aisles trying not to be seen.

And then the shopkeeper noticed her. “No, Missy, I told you last time, you are banned from this shop you cannot come in here... you take and you don't pay!” His broken English stopped her in her tracks and she turned to him, mortified.

“I have no food... haven't eaten in days...” she said softly and there was no denying whose voice it was.

“You know what your husband will do if he finds out you come here again?”

“You wouldn't tell him, would you? I have money, see?” She waved a five pound note at him, but he just shook his head without sympathy, came around the counter and took the basket from her.

“Leave, Missy, or we'll both have trouble...” With a sob Rose Stone left the premises, leaving the Doctor stunned and the shopkeeper shaking his head.

“Give it to me...” he demanded approaching the shopkeeper angrily. The shopkeeper looked surprised and after a beat he handed the basket over with a sigh.

“You can't help her, Jimmy will kill you if he finds out!” The Doctor looked at the pitiful contents in the basket. A small loaf of bread and a cheap tin of soup, but didn't respond to the shopkeeper's words. He quickly pulled a few things from the shelves and hurriedly paid for the two carrier bags full of food.

When he got outside the shop Rose Stone was nowhere to be seen so he dashed off the way that they had come in the hopes that he would catch her before she disappeared into the darkened flat that he was now seeing as her prison.

He stopped, panting, looking all about him but he couldn't see her. He sat on the wall again observing the curtained window and wondering at how fast she had got back.

He looked up at the sky and saw the roof of the block, a half memory clouding his head for a moment.

“Nine hundred years of time and space and I've never been slapped by someone's mother...”

He remembered how much you could see of the Powell Estate from the rooftops, he could observe the comings and goings on from up there while he worked out a plan. What sort of a plan he wasn't sure of, but he did feel some responsibility for how this parallel had worked out even though rationally he knew he shouldn't. But Rose was Rose, right? And if he could put her on a better path than the one she was on, he would feel better about it. Or that is what he was telling himself anyway.

It was a familiar stretch of pitch even though he had never been there before not in this universe, not in this body but it did pull at his memory painfully and he was lost in thought when her voice cut into his thoughts making him jump.

“You following me? You some kind of perv? Old Bill?” She was slumped down against the wall and it was quite evident she had been crying. This didn't stop a feisty Tyleresque indignance come shining through. That, in itself, pulled proudly at his heart strings.

“I wasn't following you, I was looking for you... I... was in the shop... I couldn't help but... here...” he handed over the two carrier bags now beginning to realise that he hadn't thought this through at all.

Rose Stone looked in the bags and then up at him with slanted eyes, “what, so I'm some kind of charity case now am I?” she asked accusingly, but there was no mistaking the tear that escaped one duct on her desperate and slightly grubby face.

“Rose...” he couldn't help himself, familiarity spilling over.

“You know who I am... who sent you?” She stood leaving the bags to fall and spill out over the roof.

“Nobody sent me, I had a run in with your mother and it disturbed me to hear what had happened.”

“My m... oh, forchrissake! You, Mister, are gonna get me into trouble... you're in danger just speaking to me and this estate has spies all over so get gone and take that lot with ya!” She arched her head to the bags at her feet.

The fear and dismissal in her voice disturbed something deep within him. The Time Lord dozing inside which, until now had only been used on his precious coral, woke up and stretched. He was scared of no one, least of all a cowardly bully like Jimmy Stone. He wasn't going to be got rid of so easily.

“I can help.” He said it simply, there were no explanations that would make any sense not now, maybe never, but he knew Rose and he knew that eventually that she would trust him.

“You can't....” she replied blankly, without anger, even without desperation which alarmed him all the more.

“I can, and I won't take no for an answer. If you don't let me help, I will come back later, when Jimmy Stone is home and I will challenge him.” There was something in his tone that made her sit up and take notice, something that kindled inside her, something that she thought she had lost. She didn't doubt that he had meant it about coming back to see Jimmy, but she couldn't let that happen. She had spent most of her adult life protecting others from that monster, sacrificing herself. Even though his threat filled her with fear for both of them, she also couldn't ignore the flicker of hope that his words gave her.

“Look, I know you mean well but it's interfering, t'aint none of your business... all you're gonna do is make matters worse for me and you could end up at the bottom of the Thames, it's happened before. See, just me telling you that puts you in jeopardy.”

“I can help, I'm not scared of him.” He repeated himself trying to formulate some kind of plan.

“You're more stupid then you look... he'd pulverise you... go now, run for your life, don't look back...”

“No, I refuse, either you come with me now or I'll stay and face him when he returns.”

“It's not just you an' me that's in danger... he'll go after... after anyone who he thinks cares. They would all be in danger, don't you get it?” He was beginning to, but that didn't stop him.

“Do you think that they would want this life for you? No, they wouldn't, they would be horrified... mortified. I have to get you out of here, Rose, I can't explain why right now, but I can make you disappear and when you know me better, then maybe I can... explain...”

“It's weird you know, everything you're saying should make me run from you, but there's summat about you... it's tempting... but...”

“You've never tried to run before?” He smiled at her then, for the first time and something exchanged between them that neither could explain.

“Course I have, never got very far though, ain't never been anywhere to run to. First place he'll look will be Mum's...”

“I'll get word to her, warn her. She can take care of herself, you know?”

“So I've heard.” There was a trace of bitterness as if Jackie had somehow let Rose down in some way. Maybe she had.

“You'll come?” He asked again, although it actually sounded more like a statement than a request. There was a long pause as she digested their exchange and contemplated the possibility. Her head was shaking a negative, but she couldn't leave this strange man, she was compelled to stay. He nodded as if her staying there was a conformation. If only he had a TARDIS and a line to deliver “Did I also mention it travels in Time?”.

The sound of a car and a dog barking awoke them from a trance like stand off and Rose looked over the wall and gasped. “He's bloody back early... someone must have let on that I went down the shop... we're for it now!” He read the terror in her face, realised that a confrontation now might not be the best thing so... reaching down, he linked his hand into hers almost revelling at the still perfect fit and he whispered down to her that all too familiar command that he hoped upon hope she would respond to as she always had a dimension, a lifetime away.

“Run!”


	4. Chapter 4

It was exhilarating, the running along the rooftops, and he didn't look back at her as he practically dragged her with him. He was formulating a map of the estate in his head, trying to work out the best escape route so he didn't realise for quite a while that she was pulling at him, shouting something and so he stopped as suddenly as he had started, looking at her with one eyebrow raised, wondering why she didn't want to run from this monster.

“You have to try and understand... I can't leave him... he's all I've got...” she was saying amongst her panting.

“But he treats you so badly, I don't understand... have you so little self respect?” This didn't seem to go down very well at all, she pulled herself upright, snatching her hand from his.

“Self respect? I've been bleedin' living with an abusive partner all my flipping adult life, my Mum and Dad were so wrapped up in their own lives they didn't bother with me... you gave me just a tiny little bit of hope today, I really believed for a moment that maybe I could... but you don't believe in me any more than the rest of them, why should I believe in myself if no one else does? For your information, I wasn't actually on about Jimmy Stone when I said I couldn't leave him, but you just jumped to that conclusion...”

His heart drooped at her words, for quite a few different reasons. Firstly he had let her down at the first hurdle and it would take a lot more work to repair that error... then there was the fact that she really had lost all hope in herself and that was heartbreaking to hear. Finally, there was someone else to look out for and that could only mean one thing...

“Oh, Rose... I'm so sorry... please... I just want to help you, I just, yes, I jumped to conclusions... I had no idea, it makes sense now...”

“You speak as if you know me and that's impossible... it would be just my luck that you turned out to be some crazy stalkin' maniac... I was talkin', bout my Mickey... poor lamb, probably hiding in some corner at the moment. I can't leave him, you have to understand that?”

But she had left him, what sort of parent leaves a small child alone to go to the shop?

“Mickey?” was all he could say, which didn't help at all.

“For the love of God! You said you wanted to help me, I'll just have to go back and face the music, won't I?” And she turned, just like that, leaving him watching her retreating back. It was seconds before he caught up with her.

“I didn't say I wouldn't help, it was just a shock to know about, I mean... look, there is more to this, and one day I will explain it all, but right now, we have to get you safely away... you and Mickey safely away... you have to trust me, Rose...”

“He's my baby...” she whispered, eyes reddening and he nodded his understanding.

“We have to wait till he goes looking for you, then we'll go and get Mickey, okay?” She stared at him for a long beat and then nodded her agreement. So they walked cautiously back to the dropped shopping, sat down on the hot pitch and began the wait.

“If he finds Mickey, he'll know I'm not far away, he'll wait... wouldn't think that I would leave without him.”

“Have some food, Rose, you'll need some strength for later...” The Doctor was picking up the spilled bags and offered Rose a chicken wrap and some juice. She stared at the items, blinking, before accepting them and cautiously nibbling at the wrap whilst eyeing him suspiciously over it. She chewed thoughtfully for a while.

“He'll be off after me, look down the Dog first, though I ain't been there in years... then he'll go down by the docks, there was an old tramp, George, that I used to take a cuppa to now and again... but he died.. Jimmy don't know that though, he woulda rubbed me face right in it. Went to his funeral... I was the only one there. He never had much but he was happy in his own way.”

“So, you still have friends?”

“Nah, not really... everyone gives up on you after a while, got fed up of seeing him put me down at every turn.”

“Can I ask you why, Rose? I mean you seem so capable... why have you given that... that... man seven years of your life?”

“Look, I ain't gonna justify myself to a complete stranger... I don't even understand how we're here now... I don't trust anyone and yet... here I am putting some kind of faith in you. Can you explain that?”

He opened his mouth but found there was nothing he could say to make her understand.

It had been less than an half an hour that they had had to wait, there was a banging of doors, a bit of shouting in his mobile phone and then his noisy car took off at speed, tyres squealing and radio booming.

“You wait here, I'll go an' get him...” she said quietly although that was now unnecessary as the estate was quiet.

“I'll come to the door, make sure you're safe, keep a look out.” Rose looked at him strangely, a look of disbelief that another human being might actually care that she wasn't exactly safe. She said nothing but allowed him to accompany her to the door.

He peered inside the darkened hallway but could neither hear or see a thing. And so he waited, expecting her to emerge any moment. Minutes went by and then he heard the car returning, the rumble of the engine and the bass of the music undeniable.

“Rose!” he called down the hallway but there was no reply.

Jimmy Stone's car pulled up with a screech and he jumped out of the driver's seat in fury.

“Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing outside my gaff?” he roared at the Doctor coming right at him.

“My name's Noble, Doctor Noble...” he reached inside his pocket and pulled out the familiar black wallet, flashing it in Jimmy's face. Jimmy Stone read the words and visibly paled. “I'm taking your wife in for questioning... we have reason to believe she may have some important information regarding a fugitive that we're interested in.”

“What? She ain't been anywhere for months, you've got the wrong person, what's UNIT anyway? Her mother works for that Torchwood lot, you wanna be careful who you're picking on!” Jimmy snarled but he made no attempt to come anywhere closer to the Doctor who stood a head taller than him and looked quite threatening himself as he glared angrily at this horrible, horrible little grub of a man.

“Rose?” The Doctor called in to the flat.

“Stay there Rose, he obviously ain't got no warrant to come in or else he would have.”

And then, as if Jimmy Stone's order were the last straw she appeared, looking a little scared but determined that this was her only chance of finally escaping his clutches.

She didn't say a word, just held the little bundle in her arms and kept her eyes down.

“What you taking that for?” Jimmy wasn't quite working it out and the Doctor was even more angered by the way Jimmy addressed their off-spring.

“I'll need to commandeer your vehicle, Mr Stone, keys please..” The Doctor flattened his palm at Jimmy Stone. This probably upset the weasely man more than the prospect of this strange Doctor taking his wife, but there was something a bit worrying about him, like he could see straight through him and this made a low life like Jimmy Stone very uncomfortable.

“You say nothing, Rose, do you hear me? And if I don't get me car back there'll be hell to pay!” He handed the keys over and watched in fury as Rose and the Doctor loaded themselves in.

As they left the estate, Rose started to laugh.

“Did you see his face? I mean, how did you? Oh my God, I wouldn't have missed that for the world!”

The Doctor, eyes forward, concentrated on getting as much distance between Rose and Jimmy Stone as were possible. But there was one thing that was bothering him.

“Is he all right?” He asked her quietly and it took a moment for her to compute what he was saying.

“Yeah, he's fine, he was hiding under the bed, took me a while to get him out, he was shaking so much, but he didn't get you. No he didn't did he, Mickey love?” The Doctor glanced down at Rose's lap, glanced back at the road and then double took.

Sitting proudly on his mistress's lap, tongue hanging out, was a scruffy little Yorkshire Terrier...


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't till they got to his flat that he realised what he had done and whether bringing her here was an altogether good idea. She stood in his small hallway clutching Mickey the Yorkshire Terrier, looking awkwardly expectant and he was at a loss.

“Well, you gonna ask us in, or wot?” she asked nervously and finally he ushered her into his large and rather muddled lounge.

“See you had the cleaners in...” her cheeky sarcasm wasn't lost on him and he grinned almost shyly as he cleared a space on his sofa. She perched on it keeping hold of the dog who obviously wanted to explore a bit.

“He's fine, nothing he can hurt himself on...” he quickly went over to the spare bedroom door where he had set up his laboratory and shut it firmly. “There now...” he smiled happily despite his reservations and something vaguely familiar crossed Rose's face which silenced him as she let Mickey down, totally unaware that she could have this effect on him and trying to hide the fact that she, too, was drawn to him.

The dog sniffed about a bit and then found a comfy corner where he made himself at home.

“So... I don't even know your name... what am I like, just jumping into a car with a perfect stranger?” The Doctor pondered on this, remembering a young girl running towards a different version of himself as she did exactly this.

“The names Doctor Sigmund Noble...” He stuck out his hand in an awkward introduction, Rose stared at it but didn't take it.

“Sigmund? That's... unusual...” She stumbled on the latter, trying not to make fun of it.

“It's an old family name, usually shortened to Sigma, most people call me Doctor...” She nodded, digesting this and began a wander around the room stopping at the laboratory door.

“And is this where I discover all your stalker evidence and torturing stuff?” She indicated the door which he had only just seemingly furtively shut.

“No! Oh, no... sorry, that's my laboratory... I didn't want M...Mickey getting in there, bit dangerous...”

“Laboratory, isn't this place a bit small for that?”

“I converted the second bedroom, but this place is bigger than it looks from the outside...”

“So, you work from home?”

“Not entirely, but I do have a few experiments on the go... sometimes it's just easier... I don't sleep a lot...”

“You don't have to justify yourself to me...” There was a pause while they gathered their thoughts.

“So...” They simultaneously said the word and laughed nervously.

“It's all very well getting me out of there, but what you gonna do with me now?” Rose asked, a hint of humour in her voice.

“Well, there are a few options... I mean there's a shelter?”

“Seriously? Jimmy would have me back there before morning... they're not safe... besides, they won't take Mickey...”

“Well... there's always your Mother?” At this Rose stood up angrily.

“Is that where you're from? Did she send you? Look, I can find my own way, I don't need anyone, I'll just disappear, should have done it years ago...” She brushed past him towards the hallway, but he blocked her path, towering above her. She looked up at him, a little scared and a little something else which seemed to unnerve them both.

“No, stop, I've not been sent by anyone... I've met your Mother, that's how I knew where you were,but she didn't send me, I swear!”

“Am I a prisoner?” Rose asked softly, intimidated by his blocking her and he quickly stood back, shaking his head.

“No! I'm so sorry, you can leave if you want, but equally you can stay while we figure it out. You're safe here, I promise!”

“Yeah? With the spare room as your laboratory?” He didn't quite compute what she was saying and then the penny dropped.

“You can have my room... it's fine, I'll use the sofa if I need it...”

“I can't kick you out your bed!”

“Rose... it's fine... I hardly use it, I'm always so absorbed in my experiment that I forget... I usually kip in here anyway...” 

Rose regarded him thoughtfully, “well, that doesn't sound very healthy... aside from your 'experiment' what's keeping you from going to bed? Or who?”

“I'm fine... I'm not the one to worry about...” he brushed her question away just like he always had and this time she let it go. 

“Well, I think you need to start explaining yourself... I mean, you met my mother and became worried about me? That makes no sense whatsoever!”

“No... you're right...”

“So you have some explaining to do... mister... Sigmund... Sigma... Doctor...” Each time she used a name it was as if she were trying it out and when she said the last it just seemed perfectly right... to both of them.

“I do... I really do but it's very complicated and you probably won't believe me. Can we just leave it be for now and when the right time comes we can have this conversation?”

“I'm not entirely comfortable with leaving things unsaid, but the alternatives are far less appealing... my mother, I ask you?” She shook her head and this saddened him.

“Can I ask you?” he said softly and a caged look crossed her face. “I mean, what happened, you used to be so close and both of you so strong... and how come?” He wasn't very good at asking, maybe he was worried it might anger her again. But she just shook her head.

“Maybe we should leave that too for another time... I'm whacked out.” Indeed, she really did look completely done in and then he remembered how little she had eaten that day.

“Why don't you go and make yourself comfortable, find your bearings and I'll make us some supper?” Rose blinked furiously and he wasn't sure if she was trying to stop herself crying. Really, had no one looked after her since she left home?

He showed her to his room, explained the intricacies of his power shower and even found out a t-shirt and some thin cotton pyjama bottoms that had shrunk in the wash and were rather bashing his ankles , then he left her with a pile of white fluffy towels while he went to his kitchen to investigate what he had an offer.

It was about half an hour later that she emerged shyly from his room all scrubbed and pink, the pyjama bottoms, though short on him, pooled around her ankles and the white t-shirt was just above her knees. She looked tiny and too thin.

He had settled for a Spanish omelette and the smell emanating from his kitchen was mouthwatering. He had cleared all the books from the table in the main room and pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

She sat down and waited for him. “Looks delicious,” she said shyly, her mouth watering.

And so they began, he had cut some chunks of tiger loaf and spread it generously with butter and Rose helped herself to hunk after hunk of it. 

“This is immense...” she groaned, tucking into the omelette with much enthusiasm. He watched her, amused and she stopped and stared at him.

“Wot? My table manners not up to your standard?” she asked him gruffly.

“No... no... just good to see you eating, you need some skin on your bones...” He blushed as he said this, realising that it might be going a little too far, but she let it go and continued to enjoy her food with much gusto.

They said very little during the meal and when it was done, Rose instantly got up and started to clear the plates away.

“What are you doing?” he said softly.

“Only fair that I wash up being as you cooked...” she replied.

“Don't worry about them... you said you were whacked out. Get some sleep, Rose we can make plans in the morning.

“Okay... you're the boss...” she said it meekly, partly because she was so tired and partly because she was used to being bossed about.

He took her hands then, surprising her to look up into his face. “I'm really not, no one is in charge of you, Rose, no one but yourself, remember that...” Their eyes held for a moment, a silent agreement placing itself between them. It was probably at this moment that she realised he wasn't doing this for any ulterior motive. It was also at this moment that they actually became friends.

As she went over to the bedroom door, she stopped and turned back. “Do you think Jimmy'll find his car?” She spoke quietly but the Doctor knew exactly what she meant.

“He'll find his car, but he won't find you... you're safe here, Rose Tyler...”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of course I do not believe that this Rose, or any other Rose would dream of taking a sugar daddy!

Rose woke up in a strange bed and her first thought was of panic. What would Jimmy say? He'd kill her. And then she pieced together the previous day and relaxed a little into the comfortable mattress. Mickey jumped up on the bed and began to make a fuss of her and she laughed as the little dog tried to lick her face.

A gentle knock on the door made her jump.

“Rose?” 

“Yeah... hang on...” She pulled the covers up over her, it had been warm and she had discarded the make shift pyjamas he had given her the previous evening. “Come in...” she called out shyly.

The door opened slowly and the rather good looking geeky doctor who had rescued her and Mickey inched his way gradually into the room carrying a huge tray laden down with the biggest breakfast Rose had ever seen.

“I didn't know what you'd like, so I gave you a bit of everything...” he was almost stuttering and definitely not looking her in the eye.

“You didn't need to do that... I can help out... you're not my servant...” she said embarrassed and touched at the same time.

“I think you need someone to look after you, Rose... let me...” Not for the first time, a little alarm bell went off inside her head at his familiarity.

“Sit down...” She said, almost commanded. He hesitated and then perched on his own bed. “I need to know your story, cos things just ain't adding up... what am I doing here?”

“I invited you to stay... to get you away from Jimmy...”

“Yeah... but why? You don't know me from Adam... do you make a habit of doing this sorta thing?”

“It's complicated...” He stood up, hands to back of his neck and paced the room. She watched him with interest. She hadn't felt attracted to anyone other than Jimmy and that was so very long ago when she had just been a kid. So she didn't recognise what she was feeling when it happened. She was shocked by how her body was reacting to him and that sort of angered her.

“Look... you have to explain to me... you said you met my mother and from that meeting decided to come and find me?”

“I did... Oh, Rose you wouldn't believe me if I told you...”

“See... there it is again... you act like you know me... I mean really know me... it's sorta creepy...”

He sighed heavily not knowing where, how or if to begin with his ludicrous tale.

“Rose, things aren't always what they seem, I will tell you... one day. But for now, could we not just start here? I'm not dangerous, there's plenty of room... you can stay as long as you want...”

“Blimey after the nights sleep I just had, I could stay forever!” This comment pulled at his heart strings, but he didn't let it show.

“Could we not just take everything slowly... get to know one another and when I think you're ready... I'll tell you my story...”

“You mean when you think you can trust me?” 

“No... when I think you can trust me...” Rose eyed him suspiciously looking every inch like she didn't trust him. In truth, it would be a long time before she would completely trust anyone.

“So far, my life has been one big bad decision... I don't even trust myself to make the right choice...”

“I know... and that's a good start in a way. You're self preservation mode is strong...”

“Yeah... yeah and considering what I've put myself through, that's surprising?”

“I wasn't even thinking that, Rose...” he answered softly. She paused for a long moment at this.

“Okay... we'll do it your way... no funny business, mind...” she instantly regretted saying the last by the look on his face and bit her lip in shame. The ice was broken by her stomach letting out an enormous growl. They both laughed.

“Eat... rest... get stronger, Rose Tyler...” he said going towards the door.

“Second time you've called me that... been Rose Stone for so long now... it sounds weird...”

“Well... which would you prefer?” he asked, turning at the door.

“I'm not even properly Rose Stone anyway... Jimmy made me take his name, there was never any ceremony... no legal document... so, yeah, I could get used to Rose Tyler again...” He smiled and nodded and left her to it.

”Me too...” he thought as he shut the door behind him.

**********

She emerged a while later with the virtually empty tray in her hands and insisted on washing up after he had cleared up last night. It took him a while to get in that the machine in the corner was a dish washer and a bit longer to show her how it operated. She was enthralled and excited by something as simple as this and it gave him such a warm feeling inside. It was almost reminiscent of his old self and the other Rose on their first few days aboard the TARDIS when he he had talked her through the domestics of the fantastic ship.

Soon the dishwasher was whirring and they were sat at the table with steaming mugs of tea.

“So... what is your day supposed to be like?”

“Sorry?”

“I don't want to stop you doing what you normally do... you know... work and that...”

“Today I had planned to work from home anyway... but there are some things that I need to sort out... I need to pop to the shops later get some supplies...”

“Okay...” Rose said a bit awkwardly.

“You can do whatever you want... there's the telly in the sitting room, or in the bedroom... have a bath... sleep... best lay low for a bit, Jimmy won't find you here, but I can't guarantee he won't out there. Doesn't mean you have to stay in... just my advice...”

“Yeah... I know... just how do you know he won't find me here... he's good at that sort of thing... knows lots of shady types...?”

“I just know...” He wasn't giving anything away and she let it go... this time.

So while she decided that his huge bath tub in the main bathroom was just too tempting, he ventured out to pick up a few bits and pieces. He might be growing a TARDIS, and his flat might be larger than it originally was, but it was nowhere near ready to supply the necessary items that he knew would be needed now there were two of them sharing the space.

She lay in that bath with bubbles nearly covering her completely and pondered on the events of the past twenty four hours. It almost felt like she had become a different person. This man, he seemed to respect her... to believe in her and it seemed so long since anybody had, if they ever had.

She thought of the link with her mother... her anger still nipped at her psyche but she couldn't deny that she wasn't interested. She would have to find out what was going on at some point. However, the idea of just being for now was a very tempting prospect. A part of her, the cynical, untrusting part, told her that you don't get something for nothing and sooner or later she would have to pay in some way... then an image of his face skipped across her mind and she smiled secretly to her self and ducked under the water giggling.

She had no clean clothes so she ended up slinging on his navy blue dressing gown that was hanging on the bathroom door. Then she curled up on the sofa with Mickey and got sucked into some day time program on the television involving two teams trying to find antiques to auction off at the highest prices.

When he arrived back from his shopping trip laden down with many many bags, she was asleep on the sofa. She looked so small and fragile and he felt a burning anger towards Jimmy Stone that he knew would have to be acted on at some point. Right now, all he wanted to do was look after Rose.

She woke up to the smell of something delicious coming from the kitchen and wandered in all sleepy eyed and fluffy.

“Have you been back long?” she yawned and he turned, the vision of her taking his breath away.

“About an hour... didn't want to disturb you... you looked very peaceful...” he answered, his voice pitching quite highly as he desperately tried to compose himself.

“What ya cookin'?” she asked, getting a little too close as she peered into the pan. He inhaled as he spoke.

“Seafood paella... be ready soon... want to get some clothes on?”

“I would, but I haven't anything to wear but what I had on yesterday and that's filthy, I put it in the washing machine, but couldn't find any powder...”

“I bought some... I also took the liberty of getting a few items for you... we left without anything and I hope you don't mind... I didn't want you to be uncomfortable...” 

Rose stared at him for a long while, trying to digest what he was saying... alarm bells going off in that same place where the cynic had taken hold... but her excitement at having something new that she hadn't had since she was seventeen or that she had nicked from a passing washing line far outweighed it.

If this was what having a sugar daddy meant, then maybe she could get used to it...


	7. Chapter 7

The bed was covered in plump filled carrier bags and Rose felt like it was Christmas and she hadn't had one of those for a while.

She wasn't sure how to react and this doctor man was still busy on his paella, so she shut the door quietly and sat down in a little space of duvet that wasn't covered by bags.

The first package she picked up was squashy, and looking inside she discovered two pairs of jeans, one black, one blue. They looked a little big, but that was okay, she could get by with them.

As she unpacked each one, she was overwhelmed with the detail he had gone into. There were t-shirts of varying designs, colours and sizes. There was selection of jumpers and tops. There was night wear even underwear... nothing fancy but that didn't matter.

He hadn't stopped at clothes either, there were some trainers and a pair of slippers. And toiletries, soaps and scrubs and a small set of basic make up. She blushed when she pulled out a box of Tampax. He even got some of that strawberry shampoo she used to get aeons ago before her life took the tumble it had. This made her a bit suspicious. Most of it was the right size, if not a little on the roomy side and she did wonder if perhaps he really was a stalker and knew everything about her. Her tastes, her shoe size... even her choice of shampoo.

She got dressed carefully, black jeans and a pink t-shirt over the white bra and knickers and scraped her hair up into a high pony tail; then she followed her nose to where the delicious smell was coming from.

When he saw her he almost dropped the large pan he was carrying to the dining table. She was clean and tidy and the new clothes showed off her tiny figure almost too well.

“Jeans are a bit big, but that's okay...” she muttered a little embarrassed at the appraisal in his eyes.

“I wasn't sure what size you were... no matter... soon having you fitting them nicely again...”

“What?” His eyes rounded as he realised what he had said.

“I mean... you're a little on the thin side and with all this food... you'll be needing... oh dear...”

“Wanna spade?” she smiled and sat down leaving him stuttering.

They ate for a while in silence, she, partly because of what he had said and that familiarity boundary he kept crossing, but mostly because she was enjoying the paella so much. Honestly it looked like something off one of those cookery shows she had had to watch to pass the time of day. 

He was quiet because he was worrying a little bit. He didn't want to fall into the trap of replicating the other Rose. This Rose needed to be her own person. He wanted to get to know who she was, not shape her into a woman he, until a few nights ago, only dreamt about.

“When it's all blown over... you can go and get your own things... I mean, from the flat or go shopping... whatever...” he finally said and Rose looked alarmed.

“I don't want to get nuffink from there... never going back... I don't expect you to pay for me... I'll pay ya back somehow...”

“It's no matter... I enjoyed shopping for you, truth be told...” he stopped himself short, he was saying too much.

“Yeah? Why is that then?” Rose was not shocked by his words, in fact it really seemed like she was beginning to flirt a bit and he recognised that from her parallel self, if he didn't recognise much else.

“It was a new experience...” he shot back, quietening her immediately. And then...

“You never shopped for another woman before?”

“No... never...” he answered back honestly. He may have acquired the odd present for someone over the years, but he had never gone out and out domestic shopping for anyone.

“I find that hard to believe,”she replied after a beat.

“It's true...”

“Bit of a tight wad in the past, then?” she grinned at him and took another mouthful of saffron coloured rice.

“Something like that...” he grinned back and also continued to eat.

There was an awkward moment when they had finished eating. They both cleared the table and loaded the dish washer but there was an element of 'what now?' in the air. It was early evening and Rose had slept all afternoon, so she wasn't in the least bit tired.

They sat in front of the television and he turned to her.

“What do you normally like to watch?” he asked turning the screen on.

“Like to watch? I don't know... all I've ever watched for years now is Jimmy playing on his X box with his mates. I've watched some day time telly, cooking and antiques and that... but I wouldn't even know where to begin... what do you like to watch?”

“Well... I don't... I'm usually always working...”

“Tell me about your work...” she said settling down, curling up on the sofa, pulling a cushion and Mickey onto her lap.

“I'm a research scientist... basically I make medicines..”

“Really... that sounds very interesting...” she replied quietly and not at all genuinely. He looked sharply at her. 

“I suppose there are boring bits to it... but on the whole I find it fascinating and very rewarding...”

“Pays well?”

“No... well, yeah... but I meant that the results that my work have are very rewarding.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Weell... for example there was this young lad... became suddenly mysteriously ill... hospital tried everything they could... he was dying and then they asked me... little bit of research and I had the answer... cured him... he's a medal winning athlete now...”

“Clever you... how did you know when all them other doctors didn't?”

“Well... I'm brilliant...”

“Right... nothing big headed about that at all?”

“No... it's a fact... I am... not boasting... it all comes easily to me... I'm the best in my field.”

“Tell me then, Mr brilliant Doctor... what do you do in your leisure time? You don't watch telly... you can cook...”

“Meh... cooking is just chemistry at the end of the day...”

“You never learnt to cook?”

“Nope... just got on with it... and voilà!”

“You speak French?”

“I speak French...”

“Anything else?”

“Sorry?”

“Do you speak any other languages?”

“Yes...”

“What other languages do you speak?”

“Rose, I speak many other languages... in truth, I've never counted how many.”

“But, you must have learnt them?”

“I think I just grew up in a multi-lingual environment and never really noticed what language I was speaking in...” That was as near to the truth as he could get and Rose let it go.

“You never answered me... what do you get up to in your free time?”

“I said I work.”

“What sort of a life is that... you go to work and then you come home and work in that room you've converted?”

“Yeah... what can I say... I love my work?”

“But... what about... I mean don't you have... you must have at some point...”

“Look, Rose... I was in love with someone a long time ago and I got badly hurt... I threw myself into my work to blot out the pain... that's it... I don't go out... don't meet with people... I don't even travel any more...”

“Blimey... she must have stitched you right over... it was a she, yeah?”

“I'm not gay... she just loved someone else...”

“Well she sounds like an idiot to me... did you travel a lot once upon a time?”

“You have no idea...” His eyes were shining.

“I always wanted to... just things took a bit of a turn...” She dropped her eyes, embarrassed.

“You don't have to talk about it... just I'm here if you need or want to... maybe... I don't know... we could one day... go travelling together?”

“Haven't even asked me on a date yet and I'm already living with you and you wanna take me round the world?” He didn't respond immediately but he liked the sound of the word 'yet' very much indeed.

“I just meant that it's been a long time since I put my feet on foreign soil and it would be nice to share that experience with someone...” he said eventually.

She didn't respond to this, but smiled warmly and glanced over at the television where there was a rather noisy and violent car chase going on.

“Can I ask about you? Your childhood... where did you grow up?”

“Nothing very exciting to write home about there... just ordinary until my dad got successful then it all went pear shaped... bit of a cliché...”

“But you grew up on the Powell Estate? With Jackie and Pete?”

“Yeah...” Her eyebrow's knitted at the ever present familiarity but she continued. “Until he got money, then we moved... Where did you come from, then?”

And so it continued, a gentle exploration of each other. If the questions got too difficult for either of them then they either shut up or guided it away.

The television turned itself off and it began to get dark. Then Rose yawned.

“It's late... I lost track...” said the Doctor, looking very uncomfortable about this fact.

Rose got up stiffly, stretching and he got up with her embarrassed and awkward again.

“Yeah... I'll head off then... still feels wrong that I'm taking your bed...”

“It's fine... so far as I'm concerned that's your room now, Rose... for as long as you want and need it...”

She reached up on her tiptoes and chastely kissed him on the cheek. She pulled back quickly, blushing. “I just wanted to say, thanks for everything... I still don't understand why, but it don't make me ungrateful...”

With that she went to bed without looking back. If she had she would have seen an open-mouthed and rather chuffed Doctor frozen to the spot, his cheek smarting in the opposite way in which it would had he just received a Jackie Tyler slap.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies especially to Schaarli, I did a really stupid thing. In stead of posting chapter 8 of this here, I posted chapter 8 of another fiction I'm working on. I should have checked but didn't... it was Schaarli's confused comment that alerted me to it, and I did respond to the comment, but then deleted the chapter and so deleted the comments... Sorry... what am I like? Anyway, here is the proper chapter!!!

Rose stretched and yawned, smiling at her surroundings, The second morning waking up in this wonderful bed and she still couldn't quite believe it. She lay on her back staring at the ceiling thinking about this rather dishy, wonderful man that had rescued her. 

Indeed, she was very curious about his back story and how come he seemed to know her, but she was still pleased to be here. A shadow crossed her face and she squashed it down. She wasn't going to let herself think about that now.

She listened out for noises that might indicate him being up and about, but the flat was eerily quiet. She wondered if it was very early and eventually curiosity got the better of her and she got up, padding to the door and poking her face out gingerly in case he was sleeping on the sofa.

He wasn't and after a look about the flat, she spotted on a note on the coffee table.

'Rose... I had to pop in to work... won't be gone long... make yourself at home... have some breakfast... see you later... The Doctor...'

Seeing the way he had signed his name made her smile. It sort of clarified to her what she should call him although she knew she was going to use Sigmund as a piss take some time.

She took Mickey out onto the balcony which the Doctor had told her to use. Cleared up after him and deposited his bag in the bin that the Doctor had put there then she showered, got dressed in jeans and a blue t-shirt this time and went and made herself some tea and toast.

She sat down in front of the telly, flicked a few channels, caught some local news about a spike in the crime rate, but nothing pulled her in so she turned it off and wandered around the flat.

She didn't want to be nosy, but she was naturally inquisitive and at a loose end. She wanted to see if there were clues...

**********

The Doctor arrived at work to a a full in-box and worked his way through the messages as quickly as he could. There weren't that many problems, but he had been absent for a couple of days now and he was in charge.

He checked his laboratories and, satisfied all was running well, he made to leave. A kerfuffle in reception stopped him in his tracks. 

Jackie Tyler stood there looking furious and he quickly ushered her into his office, embarrassed by the way the way his staff were gawping at this loud and brassy woman.

“You've taken Rose somewhere...” she hissed as soon as he had shut the door.

“What?”

“Don't act the innocent... I'm not here as Torchwood... I had a rather unpleasant visit from Jimmy Stone... described you so well... but you've put up some kind of filter on that monstrosity I caught you with the other day and I couldn't find you. Had someone watching this place until you turned up... what you done?”

“She's fine... safe... I couldn't leave her there with him... I don't even understand how you could have for seven years... she came with me of her own free will...”

“You think I haven't got her out of there before? In the first few months there must have been three or four times when she came home, once cos I grabbed her, the rest of her own will... but guess what? She always goes back... and she will again...”

“What did Mr Stone say to you?”

“Threats... always threats... he's gonna kill me... kill Rose... kill you.... I ain't afraid of what he might do to me, but when she goes back...”

“She's not going back, she told me...”

“What the hell has it got to do with you anyway? You're a complete stranger... what was she thinking...”

“I think she was thinking 'I need to get the hell out of this abusive relationship and start living', that's what I think she was thinking. I'm merely a friend who is helping her... something she hasn't had in a while...”

“She's always known I'm there... you don't know anything! And now Stone's at it again and I wasn't even warned...”

“What do you mean, 'Stone's at it again'...?”

“His gang is back at it... didn't take long... he's out for blood and nobody's getting in his way...”

“Gang?”

“Yes, the Stone Gang... you're really not from around here are you?”

“No... I don't get it...”

“Rose keeps him grounded... it's such a weird set up... I never understood it... but over the years we've learnt that when she's at home with her husband, he ain't out robbing and pushing and beating....”

“They're not married...” Jackie stopped and looked at him. Eyebrow's raised. “I'm sorry... did I hear that right... you're happy for your only child to stay with a man that abuses her for the sake of the crime rate?”

“Course I'm not, you plum... that's her choice... I don't get where you come in... you didn't even know where she was until I raided you... and all of a sudden you're... what exactly are you up to?”

“I'm a friend and she's there by choice...”

“Well, Dr Noble... I really pity you when she decides to return... lookout for that Jimmy Stone... he won't let it go...” Jackie went towards the door, hand on the knob.

“Any message for you daughter?” he asked drily as she opened it. She turned and gazed frostily at him.

“Don't get involved in what's not your business, Dr Noble...” she warned him and then left quickly.

**********

She hadn't meant to pry. She just wanted to know a little bit more about this handsome stranger and being alone in his flat warranted a little poke, surely?

First of all she checked out the bathrooms properly. There were two in the flat, a main one with the enormous bath and an en suite in the bedroom with a state of the art power shower. There was little evidence in these places that she didn't already have on him. He had good teeth, smelt great and obviously used quite a bit of hair product.

The wardrobe in the bedroom told her that he only wore suits and that at some point he had deemed it necessary to buy a tuxedo. This, she found fascinating and pulled it out of the back.

It smelt weird to her. An indescribable smell, sort of old, but in a good way. She pulled the jacket off the hanger and put it on. It was big on her, but she had an odd sense of him hugging her when she had it on and there was something about this that appealed.

She shook herself and, as she was taking it off, her hand felt something in the breast pocket. She pulled out a photograph and as she looked at it she gasped.

It was a picture of him, he was wearing the brown suit that he seemed to favour and he looked younger and so very happy. It wasn't him that held her attention though. It was the blonde at his side, that he had his arm about. It looked like her. More make up, and blonder, but definitely her. How could that be?

Now it was more than curiosity, she needed to find out what the hell was going on. She checked out all the pockets in the wardrobe, but they were full of a great deal of rubbish and she gave up pretty quickly.

She went through drawers, cupboards, post... even the books in his well stocked bookshelves. She was very meticulous and put everything back as she had found it. Except the photo. She put that somewhere safe ready to confront him with when the time was right.

Finally she found herself outside the forbidden laboratory and she hesitated, biting her lip. She knew that this was crossing a boundary far greater than that she had already done, but she was frantic to find out by now and she felt that there may be an answer behind that door.

She opened the door and stood there listening.

It was deadly quiet... unusually quiet and she realised that she was holding her breath. There was a large glass bowl on a table in the centre of the room and inside it a strange plant like object. It was rather ornate, limbs twisting out of it. She drew closer, it wasn't a plant at all. But she could sense that it was a living matter. It was a pinky yellow colour and seemed to have a kind of pulse that she could feel vibrating gently around the room.

She moved a bit closer, got a whiff of it and it reminded her of the same smell when she had put on his tuxedo.

She was standing right over it by now, transfixed by the pure alieness of it.

“Rose...what are you doing?” She jumped out of her skin and turned to see the Doctor in the doorway, his face unreadable.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deffo the right chapter this time!

“I never touched it...” she whispered. Frightened by the look on his face. And he instantly regretted his anger at her intrusion. He should have put a lock on the door, of course she was going to investigate. Part of the reason he had first asked her along all those years ago and all that Space ago was because of her natural curiosity.

“It's okay, just can you come away from it... now... it's easy to cross germinate at this stage...” This was a lie, but he wanted to get her out of there and on safer territory.

Rose obeyed quickly and a few minutes later she was sat on the sofa with her head down as if she were awaiting punishment.

“Rose?” he said softly and she looked up at him slowly.

“I'm sorry...” she whispered unable to tear her eyes from his.

“You have nothing to be sorry about... true, you shouldn't have gone in there, but I get that you were curious and it's really okay to be...” A flicker of relief crossed her face and he cursed Jimmy Stone again for instilling that type of fear in her.

“I just want to know more about you... you're so mysterious...”

“Okay... ask away...” he sighed sitting down in the armchair opposite her.

“Really?” her eyes widened and he nodded, a painful expression crossing his face. 

She paused for a long time and then after some thought...“what is it?” she asked a little breathlessly.

“It's a piece of coral... I'm growing it...”

“But... I've never seen anything like it... what exactly are you growing?”

“The material is strange, it can grow into many different things... it develops its own thought patterns, so at the moment, I'm just growing coral with a view to it being something one day.”

“That's a bit vague and it doesn't sound like any living matter I've heard of and I've watched a hell of a lot of David Attenborough over the years...” He smiled at this and shook his head. There was another long pause while Rose thought.

“This coral... is it alien?”

“Yes...”

“Are you... alien?”

“That's another story...” There was along pause and then, “part alien.”

“Oh...”

“Is that all right?”

“Yeah... My mum works with alien stuff... you sure you're not summat to do with her?”

“Definitely one hundred per cent nothing to do with that Torchwood lot... her team got readings off my coral and raided my laboratory... that's how I learnt about you.”

“But... that don't make sense. My mother wouldn't just blurt something like that out... I don't get it... how did you know about me to even talk about me with her?”

“I'll answer all your questions eventually, Rose, in time... I just don't want to rush into it... is that all right? I think I've disclosed enough for you to digest in one day..” Rose nodded slowly, the photograph she had discovered earlier burning a hole in her pocket.

She could wait, she decided. It was worth waiting for.

“Part Alien... hmm?” she said and he didn't know why, but it made him laugh. He nodded and suddenly jumped up.

“Why don't we go out this evening? See a show... catch a film... a restaurant maybe?”

“Sounds great but aren't you forgetting something Mr part-alien-Doctor-man?”

“What?”

“I'm in hiding?”

“Oh that... you don't need to worry about that if you're with me...”

“What... how come... you've made such a song and dance of it and now you tell me I can go out?”

“I had to set up some security, all done now... you can go out, with me for now....”

“So... you want to take me out... like on a date?”

“Unless you're against dating part aliens?” He couldn't believe how forth coming he was being. There were still things to learn about the human part of him and in all the time he had been on this dimension, he had never really explored it. Never had a reason to.

“Yeah... it sounds nice... thing is... much as I like you and all... I'm not ready to start anything... been a hard few years...”

“I completely understand, Rose... just two friends getting to know one another... I wouldn't push you into anything you didn't want to do...”

“Will it be posh?” she asked, changing tack and he smiled at her fickleness.

“If you want posh... we can go to the theatre, I have tickets for Much Ado on hold and the Heliot's not far... I'll book us a table.

“Heliot?”

“Just a very upmarket steak house... nothing very complicated, I know the maître d', owes me a favour...”

“I haven't anything very posh to wear, though...”

“Ah yes... well... I took the liberty yesterday, when I was shopping...” He disappeared into the laboratory and came back with a bag. “I didn't want to give you the wrong idea, but I was hoping an opportunity might arise...”

Rose pulled out a midnight blue evening dress made of silk, it was full length and very dressed up. There were also a pair of matching heeled strappy midnight blue sandals. She wasn't sure how to react. She felt like Cinderella on one hand and Belle in captivity on the other... but the idea of actually going out somewhere nice far outweighed any battle going on inside her head so she thanked him, took the bag and went and hung the dress up while she had a long hot soak in the bath.

The Doctor took the opportunity to have a shower and grab his tux while she was in there and then he disappeared into the laboratory to get ready and check that his coral hadn't been traumatised by her impromptu visit.

 

“Shakespeare? Don't you think that's a bit high-brow for me?” They were in a taxi on the way to the Wyndham Theatre. He was still getting over how much Rose had transformed.

**********

She came out of the bedroom shyly clutching the dress around her as if she could cover herself with the skirt. She was wearing some of the make up he had bought her, but very lightly and it suited her much better that way. Her hair was gleaming and she had managed to get it up into a bun, with strands of it twisting down around her ears and face.

“You look... beautiful...” he whispered softly, a lump rising in his throat.

“Surprised, are ya?” she answered him back cheekily giving him the once over. “You don't scrub up half bad yerself...”

“I have something for you...” He passed her a jewellery box and she opened it, finding a beautiful silver and sapphire necklace inside.

“What's that for?” she whispered, again her heckles were up, but the deprived woman inside her so wanted to put it on.

“I thought it would go nicely with your outfit... and I've added a dampener to it...”

“A dampener?”

“It's like a disguise... you won't be recognised by anyone if you wear it...” Not that any one would recognise her, she was a butterfly just out of her cocoon.

“Very clever, is that some kind of alien trickery... do you have a dampener on... are you really a slimy green tentacled blob?” He had laughed at her then, shaking his head, impressed with her easy acceptance of something out of the norm.

**********

“I think you'll know exactly, what's going on and this play is really very funny... a perfect introduction if you're not very familiar with the Baird...” He replied with a nod.

“I done Shakespeare at school, Romeo and Juliet... Merchant Of Venice... just never been to see any of his plays, is all...”

“Sorry... I didn't mean to sound patronising I just assumed...”

“You assumed that I haven't got an education? Well, it's true that I left school at sixteen, but I was top of my class as it happens... all my teachers expected me to go on and do A Levels... but things happened...”

“Rose... I don't define peoples intelligence by their qualifications and I happen to think you're very bright indeed... brilliant, even!”

“Bet you say that to all the girl's you rescue and hide away in your flat!”

“Funny girl, if the driver has overheard any of our conversation, we might get a visit from the police later!”

“Nah.. you got a dampener on your flat, mate, they'd never find it!”

As they entered the theatre, they were totally oblivious to the dark figure across the road watching them...


	10. Chapter 10

Rose's first experience at the theatre was a very positive one. He had managed to get a box for them exclusively and so he was able to watch her discovering a new world without being noticed. It seemed that watching and enjoying Rose Tyler discovering new worlds was part of his programming.

“This is wonderful! I never dreamed it would be so much better than watching a film!” she exclaimed at the interval and he nodded, unable to say anything for fear of letting his pride in her freak her out. It didn't go unnoticed with him how many looks they were getting from the other theatre goers, but, he reflected, that they must make quite a striking couple and he was filled with yet more pride.

All too soon, after much laughter and some tears and then more laughter, it was time to leave.

“Can we come again?” Rose asked eagerly as they descended the stairs, her eyes were glazed with excitement and her cheeks were flushed. She bit her lip, suddenly realising how forward she sounded.

“I'd love to take you to the theatre again, Rose... maybe we could go and see something else?”

“Really?” she practically squealed and he took her hand indulgently, she made no attempt to take it back and he revelled in the feel of it, the way their hands seemed to fit one another's so perfectly. “I'd love that!” she said breathlessly, her eyes wide with excitement. His breath hitched, she was both adorable and desirable all mixed into one and he was finding it hard not to say the things that in a previous life he would never have said.

“Well, we can have a look at what's about when we get home... try and go on a regular basis?”

“Aren't tickets really hard to come by and really, really expensive?” asked Rose, swinging their arms together as they meandered along the pavement, she looked at their joined hands as if suddenly realising what was going on. She took her hand back, stared at him pointedly, then linked her arm through his.

“Not if you know the right people, which I do and money isn't really an issue with me...” he continued, the feeling of her body so close to his spreading a warmth right through him.

“You think you're so impressive!” she giggled which made him falter somewhat and then he had no option but to reply.

“I am so impressive...” It sounded very sexy, dripping with innuendo and it made Rose pause for a beat from her excitable prattle.

“I'm starving!” she eventually said, changing tac.

“We're nearly there, it's why I chose this restaurant, walking distance...”

“I hope you don't mind if I pig out... don't wanna show you up or nothing, but all this excitement has given me an appetite?”

“I love that you want to eat... you need to eat... you're skin and bones...” he said idly and missed her side glance as she thoughtfully questioned this, the picture she had stolen out of this very jacket she was clinging onto burning a hole in her conscience. The girl who looked so much like her was a little more rounded. Was he aiming at that?

“Gonna get the biggest steak they have!” she grinned, dismissing her thoughts for another conversation.

The restaurant was unusually quiet and they were seated in a quiet little corner very quickly and soon Rose was enjoying the luxury of being waited on hand and foot.

“Think I might have been designed for this kinda life, you know?” she said, leaning back in her chair after the whole wine choosing, testing/tasting and finally drinking, fiasco.

“You do seem to be taking to it very well,” he smiled, raising his glass to her.

“What's that supposed to mean?” she said quickly, not sure if he was making fun of her.

“Just 'well ordered' that's all!”

“It's just steak!”

“Porterhouse, Rose and rare, you know your way around a kitchen?”

“Nope, gotta order it rare, ain't worth eating it any other way, be too tough... Gordon Ramsay or were it Jamie Oliver? Too much daytime telly, that's all! A Porterhouse has always appealed... never had one in me life... why don't they have prices on their menus anyways?”

“Not necessary... you're a diamond, you know that?”

“In the rough?”

“Nope, just beautifully uncut... natural... it's... fantastic...”

“Bit of a charmer in a former life were ya?” she answered flushing an attractive shade of pink. He nearly choked on a chip at this.

**********

They got a taxi back to his flat, sitting quietly and comfortably in the back. He expected nothing from her and she was beginning to feel secure in this.

When they came through the door, he let her in first and then clicked it gently shut.

“That was the best night of my life...” she beamed, turning to him.

“Yeah? Mine too...” He added the last after a beat as he picked through his vast bank of memories.

“Yeah, right... had to think about it though, didn't ya?”

“Genuinely... living this life, this is the best night I've had... so far...” The little blush returned and he got a bit of a boost from it.

“Care for a night cap to finish off the evening?” he asked her, but she shook her head.

“Nah, to tell you the truth any more booze and I'd be drunk... not much of a drinker, me and that wine was really strong. Got anything more... tame?” 

“I make a pretty mean hot chocolate?”

“Sounds brilliant... just gonna change into me 'jamas...” He nodded and went into the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, they were sat on the sofa, her in the new pink dressing gown he had bought her and him still in his suit but with the jacket and tie off and the sleeves rolled up. 

“So... half alien?” She'd been dying to ask and the evening and the wine had now given her the confidence to broach the subject.

“Yup...” he popped the p wondering what this was leading to.

“So, which part of you is alien?” This made him laugh loudly and she looked shocked at herself. “I never meant it like that!”

“I know, but it's hard to explain...”

“Is it though? Was it your Mum or your Dad that was the alien?” This question threw him a bit...

“Well... I suppose you could say that the male genes are the alien ones, though parenting isn't the same the universe over, there are different ways of... being born...”

“Right... but your mother is from Earth?”

“Never had one...”

“Oh... I don't get it...”

“I can't exactly explain it without going into all the nitty gritty and one day, I will, but I'm not ready to scare you off just yet. Suffice to say, that I'm fully human, the bits of alien that I do have I'm still learning about... I'm super intelligent that I do know.”

“And super big headed an' all...” she joked but he just shrugged as if to say 'clever me, deal with it'. “So why me, Doctor?” she asked softly , willing him to tell her the truth because she needed someone who was straight and honest more than anything. He took a deep sigh.

“Rose... you ask too many questions too quickly... we've had a full day, you look beat, I have plans for tomorrow if you're up for it, let's just enjoy getting to know one another before all the questions...” he sighed. So many thoughts rushed through her head. What was he keeping from her? Who was that girl in the picture? How could they get to know one another if he wasn't prepared to tell her everything about himself? Then she remembered how caged she was about herself, so she just nodded and stood up stretching.

“Yeah... I'm beat... what are we doing tomorrow?”

“You'll see...” he answered mysteriously, “I'll walk you to your door...” Rose looked from him to the bedroom door, raised an eyebrow at him and then shrugged.

“Thanks for a wonderful evening, I really enjoyed myself..” she said softly at the bedroom door, he was standing tall above her and she got the impression he wanted to kiss her, but he just smiled sweetly and nodded. She stood up on tiptoe and chastely kissed his cheek, then she opened the bedroom door leaving him standing there. 

She shut the door and leant with her back against it, her breath coming in short bursts. She listened but could hear nothing.

On the other side of the door, the Doctor stood listening to Rose's excited breaths, the cheek where she had kissed him, tingling with something that he could only compare to a feeling he had all but lost. That feeling was hope.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With many thanks to my sister Vicky, who knows a great deal more about London than I and was a great help to pull this chapter together. Thanks SOM XXXX

“Sightseeing! Really? I mean... I've lived in this city all my life... it's not the sort of thing the natives actually do...”

They were on a bus headed for the city centre and the Doctor had just told Rose what he had planned for the day.

“It'll be fun... I've never done the whole tour, might be educational and who knows there may be some adventure to be had!” Rose was sitting by him and she turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.

“Educational? Adventure?” she repeated. “Since when were you giving me an education and did I ask for adventure?”

“Well... I'm not and you didn't... but it seems to me we have a great deal in common and I crave to find out new things... it's the way I'm programmed... that in itself is adventure, adventure is fun, Rose, it's high time you found that out!” She could very well have been angry at this, but he had a point, she had lived a closeted adulthood so far and hadn't had much fun nor adventure. Besides, he was positively brimming with excitement at the prospect of the day he had planned and it was somewhat infectious. She smiled and shook her head.

“Okay... let's be tourists for the day...” she shrugged and looked out of the window at the people passing by.

Down below in the street a dark figure looked up at their window, he pulled his wrist up to his mouth. “No Ma’am, I don't see her... he's there and he does appear to be with someone, but I couldn't tell you who... Yes Ma'am... I will continue to follow...”

“So where first, then?” asked Rose back up on the top floor of the red double decker.

“Oh, I'm thinking museums and galleries...” he said matter-of-factly and she smiled again.

“Picnic in the park?”

“You're getting the idea now, Rose Tyler!”

“Boat along on the Thames? The London Eye?”

“Sounds like a plan!!” he sang happily.

“Madame Tussauds?” At this his face dropped.

“No! That's never an option... why would you even suggest that... that freak show!” he stuttered and she laughed out loud and then realised he was serious.

“Not a fan of waxworks then?” she asked him softly with a gentle smile, nudging her side against his.

“If they were made of wax it might not be quite so bad, but... some of them... oh, it doesn't bear thinking about....” He shivered as he said this and Rose quashed the urge to laugh at him again. She was seeing a different side to him, He seemed much more open, less serious, younger in a way. She liked seeing this in him, she wanted them to have fun in this new... whatever it was. And though the kind, caring rescuer was a very attractive prospect, the fact that there was more to him was more than intriguing. 

They got off the bus at Trafalgar Square and headed straight into the National Gallery they wandered around it leisurely, the Doctor unable to tear his eyes away from Rose as she lost herself in the exhibits.

She spent a long time staring at Van Gogh's Sunflowers, her mouth slightly open, her eyes exploring every inch of the canvas. Finally he took her hand, bringing her out of a near trance. She smiled shyly at him, but didn't take her hand back.

“So special...” she whispered looking back at the picture.

“Yes...” he agreed, his breath catching in his throat. He wasn't exactly referring to Vincent's picture as he said this. She glanced back at him, smiling again.

“You ain't even looking!” she hissed with a grin.

“I've looked, it's just I'm quite enjoying watching you experiencing this for the first time.” It was a bold statement and Rose looked at him, considering. She looked like she was going to say something but stopped herself and he really wanted to know what it was but he just couldn't ask. “Come on... there's lots more to see... Water Lilies and The Ambassadors!” He pulled her hand away from the spot she had rooted herself to and dragged her on. They were both grinning like idiots and anyone looking at them would believe them to be a couple who were madly in love.

He was very enthusiastic at the gift shop and the Doctor insisted on buying Rose a mini print of the Van Gogh that she had spent so much time admiring. She swung the bag in one hand while holding his with the other as they exited the famous landmark building. 

“Where to now?” she asked looking out across the famous square, up past the regal lions and on to Nelson himself, standing tall above the city.

“Well... I had planned a visit to the Portrait Gallery, but if you're fed up of paintings..?”

“Nope... always wanted to see the modern collection there, they have some beautiful photographs of Audrey Hepburn...” she answered quickly and began to pull him towards the entrance. He followed smiling proudly. 

He adored the respect she had for each and every print they passed, but when they walked into a near silent room and the groan of her stomach was clearly audible he insisted that it was time for them to leave.

As they walked down the Mall towards the iconic palace, Rose became aware of the rather splendid picnic hamper he was carrying, a leather strap slung over his shoulder.

“Where did that come from?” she asked in astonishment.

“Ask me no secrets, Rose Tyler...” he answered with a secretive smile and she just shook her head.

“Where are we going to eat?” she asked, changing tac. 

“Well... a picnic in the park is spot on, but I'll let you decide which one. Green Park or St James's?”

“St James's has such wonderful water features... if we're going the whole hog...”

“A half hog would be such a waste of... of hog...”

“That rather got away from you didn't it?”

“Cheeky!” he smiled, enjoying their banter, which felt comfortably familiar, he looked across at her. She was grinning widely, her tongue touching the corner of her mouth and the Doctor's stomach turned a loop the loop.

It was quiet in the park and they found a lovely spot under a huge old oak tree. The Doctor laid down the hamper and pulled out a chequered blanket from the top. He threw it down and gestured for Rose to sit on it. She blushed and did as he asked.

He went onto his knees at the basket and began to produce all manner of delicious bounty.

Pretty soon they were eating and he was delighting in her enjoyment at it, little squeals of joy escaping her at almost every bite.

After they had eaten she lay down on her back and looked up into the green splendour of the oak leaves, dappled sunlight pouring through them. He lay down beside her.

“Can feel the world spinning...” she said quietly and took his hand. He didn't say anything, he was already feeling a little dizzy and didn't want to give it away.

It wasn't long before Rose sat up and looked at him, “I hate to spoil this but I really need a wee...”

It was while he was waiting for Rose outside the public conveniences that he caught sight of the man in dark clothes quite obviously watching him and trying to remain unseen. When she came out, Rose caught the look on his face. “What?” she whispered dramatically, making fun of him.

“I think we're being followed, I thought someone was watching us earlier, but dismissed it as paranoia...”

“Really... where? I thought you said we was safe so long as I wore this necklace... what do we do?” Rose was a little scared and worried, but the Doctor knew exactly what to do.

He grabbed a her hand and with an almost manic grin he gave her a one word command, “Run!” She didn't stop to question it, and they took flight suddenly, their watcher surprised, they darted past the houses of parliament and Big Ben, down Birdcage Walk and sprinted onto Westminster Bridge. They continued to run right across it and the Doctor laughed out loud in exhilaration. Oh, he had missed this!

When they had crossed the bridge, they veered left and flew into the London Aquarium where they stopped as abruptly as they had started.

“I think we lost him...” he said panting, Rose catching her breath beside him.

“Lost who? What the hell is going on? Has he found me?”

“It wasn't Jimmy Stone... Torchwood agent, I think your mother is having me followed... the dampener is working Rose, but I didn't factor in that I might be a target too...”

“You never done one for yourself... you daft idiot, you could get yourself killed! Why would my Mother be following you?”

“Killed? That's a little extreme? Wants to keep tabs on what I'm up to, also she knows you're with me...”

“She trying to keep tabs on me too?” Rose was suddenly angry and pulled her hand from his.

“She can't... I've a perception filter on my flat since the last raid, it's just me, I'll get myself dampened later. Don't be angry, I have no idea why your mother is interested now, maybe its because you're out of Jimmy's clutches?” Rose's face softened towards him, but she wasn't ready to discuss her mother in any positive light with him so she looked around at the fantastically lit tanks around them.

“London Aquarium?” she asked changing the subject with a small smile.

“Why not?”” he answered a little warily but offering the crook of his arm. She took it slowly and turned to the tank beside them.

After they had had a calming hour there they ventured back out into the open air to see if the coast was clear. On seeing no one of any interest about the Doctor marched her over to the Eye.

“Really?” she asked in disbelief.

“Oh, why not while we're here... besides we'll have a brilliant view, can see if we see him about?” 

Rose was amused to find that when they got to the kiosk, tickets were already booked in his name. His little black wallet had come in very useful over the course of the day, she was beyond curious about it.

It really was a breathtaking view of the city from high up there and Rose was beginning to enjoy herself again. He was excellent company and as she stood by him she nudged his shoulder gently.

“Where to next?” he looked down at the streets below and looked at the famous iconic building.

“That one, I think...” he murmured. She leaned right in to him and pointed.

“That one?”

“No, that one right... there..." He took her hand and pointed out the Globe, looking at her with a shy smile, she mirrored it right back, glancing from him to the famous Theatre.

“We'll stop along the Embankment on the way, have some tea and cake... it's not the original, but it'll give us a feel of how it was for Old Will...”

“You booked a tour of the Globe?” she said in disbelief.

“Tourists for a day, you did agree, remember?” he said smugly and she puffed out her fringe, shaking her head, but she was still smiling.

They didn't see anyone following them again while they spent a pleasant afternoon along the Embankment taking in the sights and sounds, stopping for a pot of tea and a huge selection of cakes set out on a tiered plate rack that between them they managed to completely polish off.

It was dusk when they arrived at the Globe and the tour was only a basic one as the cast were arriving to get ready for the evening performance. 

“Well, I know we're not staying for the performance, so where to next?” she asked, holding onto his arm and stifling a yawn.

“I think we should probably head back now, it's getting dark... you hungry?”

“I seem to always be hungry these days!” she said with a smile.

“How about fish and chips on the way home?”

“Sounds fantastic...” she answered.

She wasn't surprised to find herself eating fish and chips from the paper while taking a cruise down the Thames. It was dark and the lights made the city look magical, she was entranced and he had to keep reminding her to eat.

The stop at Wapping came all too soon and the journey from the wharf was just a short walk to his flat, she was very quiet at his door and he wondered what she was thinking about as he put his key in.

“You okay?” he asked as they entered and she jumped out of her thoughts.

“Yeah... I'm fine...” she answered automatically.

“Penny for 'em?” he asked again as he turned on the lights and took off his jacket.

“Honestly?”

“You're worrying me now...” he said turning to her.

“I was just wondering... I mean, it's only been a few days, not even a week... I've had such a wonderful day... days really... I was wondering...”

“Yes... Rose?” he squeaked, her outburst sending alarm bells though him.

“Well... I was wondering what it would be like to... kiss you...”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fact that Rose was in the situation she was in when he found her can only mean something dreadful happened to her... In telling her story, I have had to cover a tragic accident. I know its harsh, but it does explain her lack of respect for herself... I apologise now and hope you understand why X

There was a long silence as he contemplated her words, not knowing how to react. He knew how he wanted to react, but he wasn’t sure that it was appropriate for them right now. It might be too much too soon.

Then too much time had gone by and her eyes dropped, her face flushed with disappointment and humiliation but he stepped forward much, much closer to her.

“It isn't that I don't want to, Rose... I just don't want us to run before we can walk...” Her face went back up to his, surprise in her eyes at his sudden proximity.

“You read far too much into things, you know? I just wanted to kiss you... simple as...”

“But, I think it might mean a great deal more than that to me...” he was staring at her mouth as he spoke and Rose wasn't sure how to react. She was very inexperienced at this sort of thing, so she was purely going on how she was feeling in this moment. An involuntary, unconscious action had her pummelling her bottom lip with her teeth. The Doctor's eyes widened and he flushed.

“Sorry...” she muttered after a while and turned away, but his hand shot out, grabbed her arm and pulled her right into him. She looked up, a mixture of fear and apprehension and want all rolled into one.

He kissed her softly, gently, chastely. She had never been kissed like this before and she felt her insides curl, giggling inside at the thought of her legs giving out. But she kissed him back in exactly the same manor. It was sweet and sensuous without being out of control. A proper first kiss.

After a while he pulled back, looking down at her with a possessive smile. His arms pulled her into him and she hugged him back, her hands coming up around his neck, stroking the fuzzy hair on his nape.

“Well... that was... what happened to not being ready?” he chuckled.

“You've made yourself irresistible... too good to be true...” she answered, one hand dropping back around and fiddling with his tie, her eyes still stuck on his.

“I promise you, I'm real...” he said back softly. She pulled his tie down and connected their lips again. The kissing was a wonderful surprise for both of them. They had, neither of them, experienced anything like this before. She had only ever kissed Jimmy properly and this was no comparison to his rough clumsiness. And he had never kissed anyone in this body and certainly never as a human so he was dealing with a whole new set of feelings.

This kiss lasted a little while, but it didn't escalate into full on snogging, in fact, it was him that pulled back and stopped it from going any further. “I love kissing you, Rose... but I was serious about taking this slowly... getting to know one another...”

“I know... I was a little forward, but you can't say you haven't wanted to?”

“No... I've wanted to... of course I have... but Rose... we have all the time in the world, don't we ? I don't want to be in this big rush with you... every moment we have together I want to savour, to make it precious...”

“That's deep...” she whispered, a slight mocking tone creeping in, but only in jest. He didn't say anything but he took his hand from her waist and grabbed hers.

“Come on... inside... you were practically falling asleep on the boat....” It was then that she realised they were still stood in the doorway and she let him lead her inside the darkened flat.

“Night cap?” he asked turning on a side light and she shook her head.

“I really am dead beat... you've worn me out...” A strange look crossed his face which made her blush profusely.

“Anyway...” he cleared his throat and let go of her hand.

“You gonna see me to the door again, Doctor?” she was sort of teasing and sort of hoping. He didn't disappoint, he took her hand again and walked the short distance with her to the bedroom door. She turned to face him, a confident smile encouraging him to kiss her good night.

He pecked her on the lips, shaking his head, then pulled her in for a hug, breathing into her hair. “It's all too tempting... gingerbread house... goodnight Rose Tyler...” she shook her head, a confused look crossing her face, but she didn't push it. She had enough to go on for now. She shut the door softly, leaning against it for support, smiling in the darkness. She couldn't ever remember feeling as happy as she did now.

A troubled look crossed her face as an unbidden memory crept up on her, she frowned and shook her head remembering to herself that she didn't deserve to feel happiness.

On the other side of the door, the Doctor slowly got ready for bed, thinking only of Rose and how this time a week ago, he would never have allowed himself to think he could feel the way he was feeling right now.

They both spent a long time laying in their respective beds gazing up at dark ceilings reliving their day together and they both spent much time reliving those kisses.

Rose fell asleep first, the nasty tinge of her guilt tainting the memory of today.

The Doctor, found it hard to settle on the sofa bed, tossing and turning, trying to find the right position so he wasn't sure if he had even dropped off when Rose's nightmare began.

It was a muttering at first, groaning that alerted him and made him wonder what she was dreaming about. Then it started to sound distressed, he heard her shout “No!” and he sat bolt upright listening.

He could hear her nightmare attacking her, her distress getting louder and louder and didn't know what to do. He got out of bed and tiptoed to the door, listening in.

Then she started screaming, long and loud without control and he couldn't take it any more, he opened the door, saw her threshing about and ran to her, needing to hold her, to sooth her until the nightmare subsided.

“No... not Tony... no... no....no!" She shouted, opened her eyes and saw the Doctor, sitting beside her. She burst into tears and fell into his arms.

She sobbed uncontrollably, and he pulled her, in her thin nightgown onto his lap, rocking her and stroking her hair, a cold burning hatred towards Jimmy Stone for damaging this precious girl so very much.

When she had sobbed herself dry, she looked up at him with a tear stained face and shook her head.

“I don't deserve this... I don't deserve you...” she hiccuped and he shook his head and smoothed her ruffled hair around her ears.

“I think it's the opposite... I don't deserve you...”

“You don't understand... you don't know what I did... you'd think differently then...”

“You really think so? Why don't you try me, Rose... you can trust me... I'm in too deep to run now?” She regarded him thoughtfully, wondering if it was worth risking losing him and feeling like she already had. She nodded shyly and fisted her hands together in her lap.

So they remained sitting there on her bed like that as she finally, after years of bottling it away, told her sad tale...

 _”We were a happy family once upon a time, we didn't have much but we got by... Mum and Dad loved each other and I was their clever talented daughter. Dad was always scheming, always used that old quote 'next year we'll be millionaires'... When I was twelve our family, after years of trying, were blessed with another child. My brother, Tony, was a golden boy, it was impossible not to love him, when he came into the room it was like the sun came out. He was full of mischief and energy. Mum and Dad were so proud of their pigeon pair and I was a proud big sister, like a second Mum to him... When Tony was three, I met Jimmy Stone... he was a rogue, a bad boy... all the girls swooned over him, but it was me he wanted and the effort he made trying to get me was very flattering. Mum and Dad didn't approve of him at all... he was trouble with a capital T... they weren't wrong. He was forbidden from our flat... and I kept to that, I truly did. Didn't stop him coming round and parking outside when I was home alone... or babysitting...”_ She hesitated then, a dark look crossing her face and he stroked her back through the thin material of her nightie, reassuring her that he was still there, still listening... _“One night, I was baby sitting, Mum and Dad didn't go out that often, we were too skint too afford that sort of thing most of the time... they were only down the local, a friend of theirs birthday bash, I often baby sat, I loved looking after him... Jimmy Stone knew I was alone and he wanted to come in, I was outside the front door, I wasn't gonna let him in, he was only after... well, you know... and it was a big pressure and my Mum and Dad would have gone nuts... I thought Tony was asleep in his bed, truly, I did... but he wasn't... so while I was out the door with it open 'canoodling' with Jimmy Stone as Mum puts it, I didn't see him come out, didn't see him decide he was gonna see what the play park looked like in the dark... he laughed as he ran out into the road as if to say 'you can't catch me'...”_ she stopped again, her eyes meeting his and he just continued to look at her gently, willing her to say the words she had never said out loud. All she could see was sympathy, no shock, no disgust and she so wanted, so needed to tell him. _“The car was going too fast, one of Jimmy's lot showing off, the screech of tyres and the massive bump have haunted me ever since... Tony was killed outright... Jimmy Stone and his mates ran off, left me, a fifteen year old, to deal with it... it was the worst experience in my life... and it was all my fault...”_

She was silent, half expecting the Doctor to throw her off his lap, but he didn't, his arms pulled her close, his chin on her head. “It wasn't you fault, Rose... it was an horrific accident, but you are not responsible for it...”

 _“Mum blamed me... she hated me for it... everything went wrong then, it was like a bomb had gone off in our family. We were all heartbroken but unable to comfort each other. Oh, the lad who had been driving the car got caught, did time for dangerous driving... man slaughter... was released after three years, back in now for drug dealing I heard, so it ruined him too... It was Jimmy Stone that was suddenly there for me... he was the only person to give me the time of day... I carried on meeting him in secret... then Dad got his lucky break, but there was no joy in it. He got pulled into a different life and within months, he was having a very public affair with a much younger woman. Then Mum found out about Jimmy... went berserk... kicked me out... only one place I could go... only one place I deserved to go...”_ She stopped and pulled her head up to look at the Doctor.

“It wasn't your fault, Rose, “ he repeated, “and Jimmy Stone preyed on your vulnerability... I can't exactly be angry with your mother, she's had a lot to deal with although that was pretty poor parenting... but Jimmy Stone? That's despicable...” Ordinarily, Rose would find such a word comical, but the way the Doctor said it, made her shiver as if Jimmy Stone's card has just been marked.

“I'll leave later...” she said quietly, looking back down at her hands.

“You'll do nothing of the sort! This is your home now... you think I'm letting you skulk back off to...” His words were silenced by her mouth. This kiss was something new to them and took him a little by storm. It was untethered and needy, tongues lashing against one another and finally the Doctor, pulled her back, two hands splayed across her ribs, dark eyes searching out equally dark eyes.

“Rose...” he croaked. “ not like this... you might regret it and I don't want to take advantage of your grief...”

She stared at him hungrily for a moment and then nodded, sliding off his lap and scuttling under the duvet. She didn't feel rejected, she felt respected... wanted... and that was a first.

“I like the idea of this being home...” she whispered although there were far more things going on in her head. She felt like a great weight had been lifted from her and this wonderful man sitting beside her was responsible. She was never going to leave him now.


	13. Chapter 13

He reluctantly stood up to leave, but Rose's eyes grew wide with fear.

“Don't leave me!” she whispered breathlessly and he sat back down again with a sigh.

“I don't want to leave, but I don't trust myself to stay, Rose...” His voice broke and it was only then that she became aware of exactly how much he was holding himself back.

“I trust you...” she answered quickly in an involuntary reflex, surprising them both. It was the first time she had really trusted anyone in all her adult life.

A memory of how they used to lye on the other Rose's bed aboard the TARDIS before they became a couple wandered into his head, but he wasn't sure he had the ability to keep himself at the right temperature if he lay on top of the covers. Laying under them wasn't an option at the moment.

“I'm going to the bathroom and to get my blanket, I'll be right back...” he said standing again. Her eyes glanced at the en suite, then followed him out of the room and she sat there waiting breathlessly, her nightmare still nipping at her.

In the bathroom, the Doctor tried to gain some control over his now very human body. In the end, he sat down on the loo and thought of the horror that Rose had had to go through and how badly Jackie had reacted and how Jimmy Stone had hovered around the wreckage like a vulture waiting to swoop. It did the trick, the anger he felt stopped his body from it's physical wants, but a storm inside him wanting to sort all of this out had begun.

He grabbed his quilt as he passed the sofa bed and tapped gently on her door as he entered.

She was still sitting in exactly the same position that he had left her in and it tugged at his heart strings to see her relief at his return. Mickey, the dog wasn't quite so enamoured. He stood on the bed and growled, baring his teeth.

“Get down, Mickey... go on... out!” She snapped at the little dog, who looked utterly dejected but did as he was told. The Doctor felt a pang of achievement at this. He had ousted Mickey from Rose's bed, that was always going to sit well with him.

Rose scooted over to the left and the Doctor settled onto the right hand side of the bed, pulling his own quilt over himself, automatically Rose snuggled into him, her head resting at his armpit. The Doctor put his left arm around her and held the hand that she had rested on his chest with his right one. It was comfortably familiar and Rose settled almost immediately.

“Bet you're regretting rescuing me now?” she said softly into his chest.

“Why would you think that?” he spoke out into the darkened room.

“Lots of baggage... bet your last girlfriend never gave you so much grief...” he didn't answer, how could he? “Seems a little one sided... you know so much about me and all I know is that you're part alien... you did have a girlfriend before you met me, right?”

“It's complicated...”

“Don't tell me... she was green and had tentacles for limbs?”

“You're very funny, Rose Tyler...”

“Let me guess... she was blonde?”

“What relevance do my past... dalliances have now?” he asked after a pause.

“Dalliances? That's one way of putting it! So she was... I could be blonde, you know... often thought of lightening my hair...”

“I like your hair as it is... don't go getting out the bleach on my account... do as you please not as you think might please me...”

“You're very sweet... but I know you have a thing for curvy blondes...” She was drifting, her voice beginning to fade as sleep came to take her away.

“And how do you know that, young lady?” he smiled into her hair wondering where she was going with this.

“Bit of a snooper, I am... sorry, but I wanted to know things... and you're such a closed book...”

“Rose?” The smile was quickly wiped off his face.

“Found a photo... she looks almost exactly like me... sorry...” There was a long silence while he digested what she had just told him and then, “you're gonna have to tell me all about her, Doctor, but not now... tomorrow... yeah?” Her voice was so low now that she was barely conscious and after another long silence, he realised that she had dropped off. Her sleep leaving him thinking about those last words and how was he even going to start that conversation?

He relived the entire day, brooded on the revelations of the evening and began to plot things. But when it came to explaining the other Rose Tyler to this Rose Tyler he was scared. Whatever way you looked at it, he did come off badly. She would think him a grade A stalker. In a way he was.

He didn't doze off until the light began to creep into the sky and the birds began their morning chorus.

**********

Hours later his eyes fluttered open and met with hers. She was lying on her side watching him sleep and she grinned when his eyes opened.

“Good morning sleepy head. Did you know you snore?” She giggled and he turned on his side to face her smiling widely.

“I do not snore! Heavy breathing maybe, but snoring... not me, you must have dreamt it!” She giggled again and it took his breath away to see her so relaxed and comfortable with him.

“Sorry about last night... really put a cloud over our day...” She pulled herself up onto her elbow and looked down at the sheet she was bunching between her fingers.

“Rose...” He pulled a hand out from under his duvet and ran it down the side of her head, cupping her face and then stroking her near naked shoulder. She shivered at his touch, raising her eyes to meet his. “You can't apologise for everything... we needed to have that talk... it was a horrible thing, but I'm glad that I know everything now...”

“Unlike me...” she said softly, meeting his eyes steadily, a challenge exchanging between them.

“Okay... yes there are things I've been keeping from you and I was going to have that conversation with you at some point when we were ready... you always seem to be pushing ahead, Rose Tyler...”

“I want to know all about you... I feel like I'm at a great height looking down on us and at any moment I'm gonna fall... what'll happen if I do?”

“I'll be right there to catch you, because I fell already...” he answered softly and her eyes glazed over with moisture.

“Cheesy...” she answered, but there was a little crack in her voice and he grinned at her, knowing that whatever he had to tell her, she was going nowhere. She had also fallen already whether she knew it or not.

“Do you feel up to telling me about Jimmy Stone?” he asked stroking the arm his hand was resting on.

“I don't want to, but I know that at some point I'll have to... but I think it's your turn to open up to me, isn't it?” She could feel her body's reaction to his touch , a small pool of desire awakening in her abdomen.

“Here's the thing, Rose, the story I have to tell you is long and complicated and when I tell it there will be times when you'll want to run from me... I'm ready to begin my story but as much as I love being in your bed, there is only so much a red blooded male can take... factor that in with a pressing urge to pee and an empty stomach... well I don't think I'd be a reliable storyteller, do you?”

Rose's eyes rounded, it was almost as if he could tell what she was feeling, then she realised that he was feeling the same and her blush coloured her cheeks and began to spread rapidly over every inch of flesh that was on show.

“Don't be embarrassed about feeling desire... it's perfectly natural, in a way, I would be more upset if you didn't feel it, Rose...”

“You don't understand though... I've never felt like this before... when Jimmy first started chasing me, I wasn't attracted to him... I was flattered and it made me popular with my mates, but he knew... it made me even more of a challenge for him... he pursued me. He was obsessed... He never stopped seeing me as his possession, he never will...”

The Doctor was quiet for a minute, digesting this information.

“Did he make you?”

“No... I gave my consent, doesn't mean I really wanted to... I felt that because he was taking me in I had to.”

“Nobody ever has to, Rose...”

“I know... I was only just seventeen by the time my mum kicked me out, I didn't know any better... didn't think I deserved any better...”

“So you've never enjoyed...” Rose covered her face with her hands and shook her head. He peeled her fingers away and moved a little closer so their noses were touching.

“Well, we're going to remedy that soon, but not before we wipe the slate clean and that starts with my story... now I'm a little disturbed by this chat and the fact that you have very little on so if you don't want to be shocked, I would ask you to avert your eyes while I get up...”

Rose stared at him, her eyes nearly crossing at their proximity, her mouth slightly open in shock at his words. He studied her face with a rueful grin, wondering if he should kiss her and deciding against it because this was going to be a very special and crucial moment in their life and he wanted them to begin properly. He might lose control if he stepped over that particular line now.

“Does it need saying?” she asked after a beat and he chuckled, pulling back a little.

“In my experience, which I hasten to add, also isn’t very much, it's that it always needs saying at some point if you want to get what you want from life. I want to do this properly, I think you do too?”

“But...” Her eyebrows knitted together, her desire obstructing the bigger picture he was trying to paint. A disappointment began to spread through her.

“Rose, I want you very, very much and don't even begin to think I'm playing games with you. I'm not Jimmy Stone. There might be a kind of obsession,true, but you're not an object, you don't have to do this because I rescued you and took you in. I need to be sure that when we do that we're going into it knowing everything about one another. Only then can we be truly happy. Does that make sense?”

Rose stared at him, digesting his speech. A tiny stab of disappointment muted by an undeniable sense of hope. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. She nodded meekly and turned away so he could get up without her gawping at him.

She felt him moving and didn't turn around until he was up and over at the door.

He turned his head to her and smiled. “You're not going to laze about in bed all day are you, Rose? There's breakfast to be had and things to discuss!” She threw a pillow after him as he left the room. She didn't know that her wide grin was being matched by his, a mirror of hers as he walked a little awkwardly to the bathroom.


	14. Chapter 14

They were on the sofa, facing each other, legs crossed and feet bare. Her hair was wet from the shower and she was wearing one of his jumpers, a cream one that she had helped herself to from the cupboard in the bedroom. It was big and sloppy and didn't look like she had anything else on although she was wearing a pair of shorts. Her legs were newly shaved and she couldn't help noticing his furtive glances at her naked legs. It made her feel... well... empowered in a way.

They were eating fresh croissants with strawberry conserve and big mugs of hot chocolate. The Doctor had nipped out to a deli along the high street while Rose was in the shower. 

So now they were getting comfortable on the sofa and he didn't quite know where to begin. 

Rose produced the photograph she had purloined from his tuxedo and smoothed it out between them careful not to get jam on it.

The Doctor looked at the happy couple in the picture for the first time in weeks and for once he felt completely removed from them.

“What's her name?” she asked softly, expectantly.

“Her name was Rose...” he croaked.

“What? But that's... what do you mean 'was'?”

“I told you it was complicated, Rose, you're going to have to open your mind a bit. What I'm about to go into with you will sound illogical, so illogical that it can only be logical.”

“Her name was Rose?” she repeated ignoring all he had said since.

“Yes... she's Rose Tyler from another dimension, she still exists but only in her own dimension so therefore she was... if that makes sense...”

“It makes no sense to me whatsoever...”

“Have you ever heard of parallels, Rose?”

“In films... fictional films...are you saying that other dimensions exist?”

“I am...”

“And you're from another dimension?”

“I was...”

“Like her?”

“No... that man you see in the photo with her? That man isn't me... I was on that dimension briefly, but I wouldn't say that I was from there.”

“You're not making any sense, Doctor.”

“I know, but I'll try to... once I was that man... and something happened. Those two are still together in their own dimension...”

“But you're not from this dimension?”

“Technically, I'm not from any dimension... technically I shouldn't really exist...”

“How am I expected to believe you... to understand you, when you're talking in riddles?”

He put the plate of half eaten croissants onto the coffee table by their mugs and pulled her into him, she leant into him back to chest and he rested his chin on her head and began from the beginning.

 _“Once, in a Universe similar to this one, their lived a man, he came from a planet called Gallifrey. He wasn't human, he was a Time Lord, an ancient and pompous race. He didn't always believe in their ways and one night he stole a ship, a space ship, from a scrapyard and began to travel the Universe. Time Lord's were strange creatures, superior physically to the human race, brilliant and aloof... they had two hearts and an ability to trick death by regenerating into a completely different person. I'll explain all that at another point, Rose, but for now I just want to cover his time with Rose Tyler... He had just witnessed the destruction of his entire planet, he felt responsible and alone and he really didn't care whether he lived or died. He was helping this planet, Earth on their dimension, from avoiding an alien invasion when he met her, he rescued her and she rescued him right back. She began to travel with him, and pretty soon, he had a reason to carry on... he fell in love with her but he knew it was wrong... he was so very much older than her and would carry on for centuries after her. It wasn't until he was killed and became this man in the photo that the line was crossed. Somehow he had regenerated into exactly the sort of man that Rose would go for. He hadn't even known before that she loved him too. They became a couple not long after that, he took her into his bed even though he knew their life spans weren't matched. It was a whirlwind of a time with many dangerous and exciting adventures. Then one day they happened upon a different Universe, almost the same as their other one, but with a few differences. They managed to leave that one there then, but a while later they were drawn into it again, at least, she was. She got trapped there and they pined away for each other for a number of years. Then she found her way back. The Dimensions were in danger and she knew the only person who could help was him. She was going back to him and that made her so happy. It took time but eventually she did find him... he was nearly killed at this point. He was dying when she got to him and she begged him not to change. At the time of his previous regeneration he had lost a hand, grown another but somehow this severed hand had found it's way back onto his ship and as he began his regeneration he decided to use the regeneration energy to heal himself, and then siphoned off the rest of it into his hand that was preserved in a jar on his ship. Things happened and the hand that was full of Time Lord regeneration energy was activated into something called a 'biological metacrisis' a new and identical man was grown from that hand. Except he wasn't quite identical, he's human, not Time lord, he has one heart and no regeneration abilities... So when the war was over and the worlds and dimensions were safe again there was a choice to be made. Rose Tyler quite rightly chose the man she fell in love with, she understood that the 'copy' was essentially the same man, but he wasn't her man. He was broken, all new and unwanted and so he made an escape and chose another completely different parallel to settle on. Although he has all the memories he has never ever been in a relationship with anybody. Rose Tyler or not... not until now...”_

He stopped, waiting for her to finally say something but she said nothing, he couldn't even see her face to see her reaction so he physically turned her around onto his lap where her bewildered expression met his eyes.

“I'm supposed to believe all that?” she whispered, the disbelief clearly evident in her eyes.

“It's the truth... I may have left out a few details, breezed over some things, but that, in a nutshell, is how it went.”

“So you're him, this meta thingy?”

“If you want to put it like that, Rose,then yes, I am him.”

“It's a pretty tall story... I can't get my head round it... you're sure you're not having me on?”

“Why would I make something like that up? You know there are aliens out there, why is it so unbelievable that they might be living amongst us?”

“I need time to think, to take it all in... it's all so much...” Truly she seemed as if his revelations were a shock, which is no big surprise, it's a shocking tale when you think about it. There were so many questions spinning around in her head, but that didn't alter the fact that this man was right here opening himself completely up to her.

“We have all the time in the world... I can wait...” His Adam's Apple travelled that long journey up and down his throat and Rose watched it with interest.

“There's so much going on inside my head, given me a headache... it's killing me...”

“Well, there's a Doctor right here if you need one...” he said softly, his hands automatically finding her waist and drawing her in. She allowed herself to be pulled to him and looked up into his face with mild amusement.

“You gonna try and brush over all that with more kissing, Doctor?” she asked breathlessly, almost hopefully. He stopped, looking at her thoughtfully as if weighing up something.

“No... I'm not going to brush over anything... we need to discuss this... see how you feel about it all... I would like to kiss you though... is that all right?”

“There's no complaint from me...” she whispered even though her head was still spinning.

The phone began to ring as their lips touched and he pulled back with a groan.

“I'm so sorry, that’s the work's ring tone, they know I took the week off so they would only ring if it were an emergency...” He left her disappointed to move to his phone but still maintaining eye contact with her. “Hello, Sarah? What is it?... No... what.... well tell her I'll call when it's... I don't see... okay... okay... yes it's not in your job description... I'll be there in about half an hour...” He put the phone down and looked apologetically at Rose.

“Trouble?” she asked, part amused, part exasperated and part relieved for the breather.

“Something’s come up at work... they need me in...”

“Well, can I come too?”

“What?”

“I don't want to be left on my own, not after all that...” she muttered lowering her eyes to try and hide her insecurity. He observed her thoughtfully weighing up the odds and deciding that she was as involved as anyone and if she knew who was waiting for him there, she might not come.

“Okay... get something on your legs, looks like your naked under there...”

“Everyone's 'naked' under there, Doctor!” Her eyes were back up to his, with amusement as she shot him that rather challenging punch line.

After she had slipped on the blue pair of jeans that he had bought her, (noticing that they were already fitting better) they went outside and easily caught a black cab.

 

Sitting side by side, thigh touching thigh she looked up at him through her lashes.

“Is it really bad?”

“What?”

“This emergency at work?”

“From what I can gather it's not work related, I just need to get there and sort it out...”

“Yeah but what, exactly, is it?” He looked at her thoughtfully wondering whether he should just come out with it. Something stopped him and he just shook his head with a small smile.

“We're here...” he said softly and leaned forward to pay the cabbie.

She watched him very carefully in the lift and came to the conclusion he was hiding something, almost dreading something if she were to look even more carefully.

They swept through reception, past the gibbering receptionist, Sarah, and straight into his office where a very different looking Jackie Tyler sat, mascara stained face and hankie in hand. When she saw Rose she looked horrified. At least that's how Rose took it anyway.

“Rose!”

“What's she doing here?” spat Rose. “Doctor, what are you playing at?”

“I'm not playing at anything, Rose... I have no idea why she's here, but she refused to leave until they got hold of me. You insisted on coming, I wasn't about to leave you behind.” He turned to Jackie leaving Rose open mouthed. “What's happened Jackie, why are you here?”

“It's Jimmy Stone... he's got Pete...” she blurted out and burst into tears again.


	15. Chapter 15

“What do you mean Jimmy's got Pete?” asked the Doctor and Jackie limply handed over her phone where a film was paused. Rose came to his side and watched as the Doctor pressed play.

Pete was covered in blood, one eye was completely closed up and dreadfully swollen. He was tied to a chair in some kind of dark, windowless warehouse.

“Jacks... Jimmy ain't happy... Rose has disappeared... gone off with some bloke you know... says you're to get her back to him by midnight or... or...” At this point a baseball bat hit him in the face, he cried out, fresh blood spurting from his mouth. The camera moved around. Jimmy Stone was sat at a desk a nasty smile plastered across his nasty face. Violent noises continued in the background together with the sound of Pete begging and groaning.

“I told her what would happen if she ever tried to go... if she's not back, I'll have him dealt with and then I'm coming after you... and don't go getting any of your Torchwood lot onto this cos that would forfeit him immediately...” The camera spun back around to Pete who was now unconscious and then the screen went black.

There was a stunned shocked silence as the pair digested what they had just witnessed. Jackie sobbed behind them.“Commander Tyler, I would suggest you pull yourself together...” The Doctor swung around addressing Jackie quite severely. Rose said nothing just observed with a slightly shocked look on her face.

Jackie stopped crying and stared at the pair of them, not really knowing what to say.

“What do you care whether he's hurt or not? You've been separated for years, you hate him!” Rose said softly, didn't stop it being venomous.

“I don't wish him any harm, I hated him for what he did, but it didn't stop me...” she stopped, bit her lip.

“Loving him? Yeah right, think you stopped being capable of that when...” Rose stopped.

“When?” Jackie asked, challenging her to say the words. But the Doctor intervened.

“Ladies... this conversation is long overdue but I think we have more pressing matters to deal with at this very moment. A man is in danger and we need to rescue him!”

Two pairs of eyes turned to him, one amber, one blue, but both with the ability to appear like fog lamps.

“What can we do?” asked Rose, scared and almost resigned.

“If you think you're going back to him, then you can think again... over my dead body you will!”

“If Jimmy could, he would, so be careful how you choose your words!” said Rose right back, but her relief was clearly evident. Jackie observed this exchange with some interest. Her eyes went to this man and she began to see him in a different light.

“Is that why you stayed with him so long... to protect them?” he asked and Jackie's eyes rounded as she realised the implication of his words.

“Not just them... he's a danger to everyone. If I'm not there he goes mental... already started to if you seen the news... don't matter, you said I'm not going back, so how do you propose we deal with him?”

“Well, he says no Torchwood lot to be involved, doesn't say anything about Torchwood tech though... I wonder if we could set up a trace on his phone from the signal to yours, Commander Tyler?”

“But that takes someone to work it... and that would mean involving the team...” Jackie said shaking her head.

“I don't think we need to worry about that.” said the Doctor.

“Doctor's super brainy...” Rose said quickly, not looking at her mother.

“Yeah... now I'm wondering if I might be able to rig something up from here... save us trying to sneak into Torchwood and getting spotted by one of Jimmy Stone's lot...”

The Doctor left the room taking Jackie's phone with him. There was a pause, a slight hesitation before Rose followed still not looking at her mother. Jackie sat there staring at the open door, then she, too, went after them.

In the laboratory, his private laboratory, the Doctor was digging about through some older equipment. Rose was sitting on the counter near him, watching his every move.

Jackie observed them from the doorway, perplexed. The way her daughter looked, clean and healthy and the way she looked at him. She was in love... somewhere along the way her daughter had fallen in love with this strange man who had appeared from nowhere and pulled her out of the path she had chosen.

There had been times along the way where she had begged Rose to come home, but they were always angry at each other. Never usually at the same time but now it was like looking at a different person. This made her feel guilty because she knew that the reason her daughter's life had taken that downward scale was because of her own reactions to the heartbreaking tragedy that had happened to them.

She had spent so long feeling as if the tragedy had been only hers that she had alienated both her daughter and her husband. None of them had been happy in their lives since and at some point that had made Jackie feel that that was as it should be. None of them deserved to be happy. Of course, over the years, she had realised that this was very wrong but, however hard she may have tried, she was unable to make amends. Everyone was broken by it.

She had stumbled upon Torchwood quite by accident, she had got obsessed with following Jimmy Stone and his gang about, trying to catch them out, to find some kind of justice. She had ended up uncovering an underworld of aliens hell bent on world domination. She fought alongside seasoned members of the elite Torchwood team and was subsequently asked to train with and then to join them. Over three years she had quickly worked her way up the ranks and was proud to be in command of the whole London operation now.

Her past was her weakness. She could be anonymous in her job, nobody pried, nobody tried to get to the aching woman inside. The fact that she had gone through such loss made her a very good soldier. She could put her feelings on hold, remain detached and judge situations coolly without letting feelings get in the way.

Of course, there had been casualties, she thought as she watched Rose interacting with this man and she thought of Pete, the love of her life, in tatters somewhere dark and damp and cold. The heartbreak had returned when she had observed the footage and it was that monster Jimmy Stone who had rekindled it. Again.

“It looks like some kind of docking warehouse...” she heard her daughter say, a familiar detachment piercing Jackie's armour still further. Rose was watching the message again and appeared to be unmoved by it's pitiful content.

“Why do you say that?” asked this doctor man swivelling his chair around and coming in a bit too close to her daughter.

“There's one of them massive hooks, see?” Their heads were together as they looked at the screen.

“Clever girl, means we can narrow the location down, that's if they're still in the city...”

“Jimmy wouldn't leave the city...” said Rose with a trace of bitterness.

“That isn't some TV drama you're watching there, Rose... that's your father!” Jackie felt her anger beginning to rise, but Rose just looked at her coolly.

“It may have escaped your attention, Commander Tyler, but I'm trying to help this man rescue him... if you're so good at these things, which I'm told you are, that it's what you do, I would suggest you get a grip and help too...” Rose was harsh with her, but impersonal and Jackie knew she couldn't, shouldn't retaliate. She took a deep breath and joined them.

The Doctor, pretty soon managed to get a signal trace on the phone that called Jackie's and it was indeed coming form the warehouse dockland on the eastern side of the city.

“Most of this area has been redeveloped, but there are a few remaining storage buildings... here, here and... there...” said Jackie pointing the areas out on the large screen that the Doctor had imported the signal to.

The signal was showing as a red flashing dot on the screen and it was homing in on one particular building.

“Right... no promising that he's still there, but that's where this was sent from... I'm going down there...” The Doctor stood and both Jackie and Rose straightened as one.

“No!” It was simultaneous and for some reason it amused the Doctor but he didn't show it.

“You ain't going anywhere without me... besides Jimmy wants me...”

“I'll not use you as bait, Rose...” he cupped her cheek, but Jackie interrupted.

“I'm trained for this sort of thing, so I'm definitely coming... Rose is right though... Jimmy Stone calms when she's about, it might not be such a bad thing if she did come along as distraction...” The Doctor looked at Jackie coldly, a realisation dawning on him that this Jackie really didn't care enough for her daughter. The Jackie he knew would have fought for her to stay behind in safety not encourage her to come and certainly not encourage her to remain with an abusive partner to keep him from hurting the rest of the world.

“I'm not going as a distraction, nor as bait... I'm going because once and for all I want to put a stop to Jimmy Stone and all he does... if you don't take me along, I'll just make my own way there...” Rose jutted out her chin in determination, waiting for the Doctor to argue. He looked at her thoughtfully and soon came to the conclusion that she was probably safer staying with him where he could keep an eye on her. He would not let Jimmy Stone anywhere near her. He nodded and pulled her into a quick hug. Rose caught sight of her mother's face as he did this and was rewarded with a look of disapproval.

Before they went, the Doctor used Jackie's wedding ring, which she still wore, to set up a dampener for her, so they could move about the city pretty much unseen. They set off, this unlikely trio, towards the Eastern Docklands and Jackie moved beside the Doctor, Rose on his other side.

“Well, you moved in pretty fast... when did you two become an item?” Jackie was addressing him softly but Rose heard every word.

“Not that it's any of your concern, Commander Tyler, but we aren't quite an item... we're getting there though.” He took Rose's hand as he said this and squeezed it.

“She's a married woman, do you make it a habit of taking women out of their matrimonial home, Doctor Noble?” he stopped and looked down at Jackie with contempt.

“I would get anyone out of that sort of hell... romantically or not... and for your information, to clarify... Rose is not, nor ever has been Mrs Jimmy Stone... there was no wedding...” Jackie's face fell, her eyes darting over to Rose.

“But you told me...”

“I never told you... it were him... I just didn't have the energy to put it right... what was the point? Shouldn't make a difference whether I was or weren't anyway...”

“She's right... whether they were married or not doesn't make a jot of difference... she was in a living hell...” the Doctor agreed trying to get them walking again at the same time.

“I told you I got her out of there a couple of times and she always went back!”

“Cos Jimmy was causing havoc and no one, not even you, could stop him. He only calmed when I went back... you let me go back knowing...” It was great that Rose was finally having her say, the Doctor reflected, but right in the middle of Wapping High Street with the pressing matter of Pete badly injured and needing to be rescued wasn't good timing.

“Rose...” The two women stopped and glared at him, “Pete?” 

They continued to walk in silence and it wasn't long before they neared the docks. Most of them were trendy apartments, over developed and highly priced. But there was an area that hadn't yet got that treatment and the three made their way through the marina and down onto the more industrial area.

“It's that big building down there...” hissed the Doctor.

Soon they were at the main entrance and Jackie's training suddenly kicked in. She bent down, produced a hand gun from her boot. “I'm going around the back... keep the element of surprise...” and she was gone before anyone could react.

“Great... can really count on her for back up...” whispered Rose watching her departing back.

“Makes sense that the back is covered though.... stay with me please... don't go thinking you can tackle things on your own...” He pulled her to him, bent his head down and kissed her softly taking her by surprise.

Then hand in hand, they opened the door and snuck inside.


	16. Chapter 16

It was dark and damp, the busy docks and city a mere distant murmur in the background. Rose and the Doctor walked hand in hand right into the depths of the old warehouse. As their eyes got used to it, they could just make out each other in the gloomy darkness. There were muffled noises coming from the far end of the building. Voices. They carried on stealthily moving towards it, hiding in the darkest shadows but never letting go of each other's hand. He could sense Rose's increased pulse, feel the adrenaline pumping through her. He could only imagine how dark her eyes had gone, the excitement dilating her pupils.

Finally, hidden behind some old crates, they were able to observe Jimmy Stone and a bunch of his cronies in action.

“She'll come... she always does... this is the worst... but she's shacking up with another geezer... I'm fucking livid... someone's gonna pay... I'll kill him...” Jimmy was muttering to them and they both knew he wasn't talking about Pete. 

Jimmy Stone wasn't an ugly man by any standards. He was tall and muscular, dark hair and skin and piercing blue eyes. It was his demeanour that made him ugly, a constant grimace at his lips that made him look really very nasty. You would cross the street to avoid such a character if you ever came across him.

In the corner, slumped in a chair was Pete Tyler, his head was down, suggesting that he wasn't conscious. There was a pool of blood at his feet and a baseball bat lay by it.

Then from the other side of them, Jackie Tyler emerged, gun in hand pointing it at them.

“Hands up!” she shouted and Jimmy Stone began to laugh.

“Commander Jackie Tyler... Defender Of The Earth... so, you came alone? I'm disappointed... thought you had a bit more of a brain in that blonde head...” His voice was grating, a heavy East End accent that was never gentle. There was no melody to it. 

“You're all under arrest!” said Jackie, pointing her gun straight at Jimmy, her finger twitching at the trigger, the temptation almost too great.

“Yeah? You and who's army?” Jimmy made a move towards her but she clicked the trigger, cocking the gun ready to fire and he stopped.

“Now, now... Jackie, we don't want any nasty accidents...”

“Let him go...” she ordered, but Jimmy just sneered.

“We let him off that chair now and he'll be on the filthy floor, no, he's staying put until I decide what we're gonna to do with him.” He nodded an instruction to one of his men who came in behind Jackie. There was a struggle and the man disarmed her holding the gun in his hand while Jackie tried to struggle free.

Before he could even react, Rose had let the Doctor's hand go and had moved out of their hiding place, she made a run for the man who had Jackie and knocked him off his feet as she hit him at full pelt.

“Jimmy... stop it!” she shouted, pulling herself up off the man sprawled underneath her.

“Oh... Mother and Daughter, working together, is it? Hello Rose, long time no see...”

“Let them go, Jimmy, they've done nothing...”

“See Rose, I've learnt over the years the best way to punish you... and this latest antic of yours... deserves the worst punishment I can think of, you little slut, running off with some bloke... how long did you think he'd want you for?”

“I'm not coming back, Jimmy.” Jimmy's eyes rounded in disbelief and then the nasty smile returned.

“The hell you aren't... you have nobody else... who would want you?” he sneered.

“He wants me...” she said softly and the way she said it was undeniable. Even to someone as thick skinned as Jimmy Stone.

“Then he dies...” said Jimmy evenly, the red rage clearly evident in his eyes.

Behind the crate the Doctor was fuming, both at Rose for slipping away from him and at Jimmy's words. He took a deep breath and coolly stepped out from the shadows.

“I don't think so... not today...” His voice was level and commanding, he had gone into full Doctor mode, taking charge of the situation and it wasn't lost on Jimmy's gang, they sort of took a step back. Jimmy's face was a picture, jealousy, hatred and fear all rolled into one. He moved forwards towards the Doctor, but Rose moved in between them, challenging him. He stopped right in front of her, looking down at her.

“You're nothing without me... I know you... I know what you did, does he?”

“I didn't do anything... it was a terrible accident... one that I've paid for every day since... well no more, Jimmy Stone, yes he knows, I told him what happened.”

“She told me everything Mr Stone and frankly, I'm appalled by your behaviour. You have used the tragic death of her little brother to keep her, she was little more than a girl herself when she came to you believing she had nowhere else to go and you preyed on her misplaced guilt. Tell me, was it you who told her that that little boy was running off into the night to see what the play park was like in the dark?”

“What?” Jimmy looked puzzled, both Jackie and Rose's eyes turned to the Doctor.

“It was something she said when she told me, how could she have possibly known where he was heading, somebody fed that to her to make it all the more painful... paints an even worse picture in my head...”

“Rose, tell him to shut up before I shoot him...” Jimmy pulled out a gun and pointed the barrel at her.

“You'd have to shoot me first...” She was between them and Jimmy knew it. His henchmen weren't sure of what to do and Jimmy, in a fit of temper turned and shot Pete. 

Jackie screamed, Rose stood back right against the Doctor and produced a gun pointing it straight at Jimmy with a shaking hand.

“You can't kill me... it's me, Rose... you're my wife...”

“I'm not... I never have been... never wanted to be... it's over Jimmy...” Jackie had made her way around to Pete and was checking for a pulse. Jimmy observed her, then he smiled and turned his gun on her.

“I told you... I warned you...” he hissed and shot Jackie, she instantly fell at her ex husband's feet.

It was a nano second, a mere beat, Rose's shocked expression as she watched her parent's bleeding at the hand of this monster; that her finger squeezed the trigger and she shot the gun she had picked up off the floor when she had knocked Jackie's captor down. It was Jackie's hand gun.

She shot Jimmy Stone in the heart and he fell to the floor instantly. Stone cold dead. 

She didn't stop to think, she ran to her parents, crying out and on her knees at her mother's side. She rolled her over and Jackie looked on her daughter's face for the last time. She managed to raise her hand as Rose tried to stem the blood flow and she took the gun from her.

“Mum?” Jackie was trying to speak and Rose had to move in very close to hear her whispered words.

“Tell them it was me, I done my duty for God and Country, tell them, Rose, save yourself... I'm so sorry...” And with that, Jackie Tyler took a last strangled breath and died in her daughter's arms.

The sirens could be heard in the distance as Jimmy Stone's gang began to leave the building as fast as they could.

**********

They sat together in the waiting room at the hospital. There were little words that could be said, they were waiting to hear if Pete had made it through his operation. The police were waiting to take statements. 

“You cannot blame yourself...” he repeated and Rose shrugged as if all the fight had been taken from her again.

“If I had listened to my Mum in the first place and not taken up with him...”

“Rose you were a child and Jimmy Stone was no ordinary bad boy, he was a maniac...”

“I know...” she took his hand and moved her fingers into his, a breath he didn't know he was holding let out. “It's just if I start my new life on a lie...”

“The last thing she did and it was for you... he shot Pete and killed her, I'm as agreed as the next man, nobody deserves to die, but if you let a murder charge hang around your head, Rose, then he's won. Did she die for nothing?”

“No... I just don't know if I can live with myself... spent all my adult life feeling guilty. I've been programmed, really, haven't I?”

“Well... I promise to devote my time to deprogramming you... that's if you want me to?”

“I don't think I could continue without you, Doctor... I just don't want to fall into that trap of always leaning on a man... Jimmy was the wrong kind of man to depend upon and I'm pretty sure depending on you would be... lovely...”

“But?”

“But I...” Her words were interrupted by the surgeon appearing at the door. They both jumped up.

“Your father's out of theatre, he's still unconscious, but he's out of danger. Had to give him a great deal of blood, he has three broken ribs and a broken arm, he's got concussion... the bullet went straight through, didn't hit anything major, just some blood loss. Took us all this time to make sure there was no shrapnel left and to stem the flow.”

“Oh... thank you so much... can I see him?”

“Like I said he's not conscious and we're just taking him up to Critical Care for the night... when we've got him settled, you can pop in and have a look, it's not pretty, he took quite a beating.”

“I was there when they shot him, can't be worse than that...” she answered and the surgeon nodded.

“Thank you Mrs.... Miss?” the Doctor put a hand forward to shake the young surgeon's.

“Mrs Milligan... all in a days work... I'd best get back, there's a café on the next floor, still open, they do a very good Earl Grey, might take the bite off the shock?”

“We'll bear that in mind...” And with that, Martha Milligan had gone.

“See... she's got her head screwed on... what a thing to do, save lives every day... it makes me feel pretty worthless...”

“You could do anything you put your mind to, Rose, and now you have me and your father to support your choices...”

“My dad survived...” Rose said the words out loud, not sure how to feel about them.

“Yup...” And then their conversation was interrupted again as three rather official looking people approached them, one shut the door and stayed by it while the other two spoke.

“Ms Tyler? Dr Noble? We're with Torchwood, we take precedence over the police when one of our operatives has been involved in a fatality, we'd like to know what happened, an informal chat, if you will. We can do all of the paperwork. Commander Tyler was a great soldier, she will be greatly missed but she left some very firm instructions relating to this case, we picked it up on her hard drive earlier. That's how we knew she was at the docks, she had a tracker on herself. If we had been five minutes earlier it might have been very different...”

“Well if ifs and ands were pots and pans...” said Rose morosely.

“You sound just like her...” One of them regarded Rose thoughtfully.

They all sat down and took them both gently through the events leading up to the death's of Jackie Tyler and Jimmy Stone.

When it got to the part where Rose shot Jimmy she hesitated.

“Ms. Tyler, Rose, we aren't here to make any arrests. We just need the facts for our reports. Jimmy Stone had made himself a target at Torchwood, he was just starting to dabble into the illegal importing of alien substances onto the planet, he was, as your mother frequently put it, 'a bad lot'.”

“He shot her and I shot him... it was a reaction, I didn't intend to kill him... I went to her as she died.”

“And did she give you any instructions?”

“She took the gun from me, and told me to say it was her that shot the bullet so I wouldn't get into trouble...”

“What words did she exactly use?”

“Said she had done her duty for God and Country and that she was sorry...” Rose's eyes filled up and the Doctor put an arm around her.

“Well that just about wraps that up then. She used the password, you don't need to worry about any of it. I'm sorry for your loss.” The two agents stood.

“That's it?”

“Yes, we can do all the necessary from here...”

“But I killed a man!”

“In the line of duty, Ms Tyler, that makes it lawful.”

“But I wasn't on duty...”

“No, but you were with Commander Tyler who was... it counts... Dr Noble, she had been keeping an eye on your for some time, she was hoping to recruit you at some point... might be an idea for the pair of you to come along and see how we operate... here's my card...”

And the three agents left them to it just as a nurse arrived to fetch Rose to go and see her father.


	17. Chapter 17

It was very late when they finally returned home, Rose sat with her father for some time and the Doctor had waited patiently outside, not wanting to intrude. Pete still hadn't come around and the nurses had said that he was unlikely to for a while. If there was any change they would contact immediately.

They caught a taxi home and said very little. The Doctor was feeling a distance between them that he could do nothing about. It was up to Rose from here, all he could do was be himself and be there for her.

He turned on the side light as was his ritual every time they returned home and then he turned to her. She looked completely done in, frail and haggard, like a street urchin. Her shirt was still caked in her mother's blood and he could see some in her hair.

“Shall I run you a bath?” he asked, keeping his distance and she looked right at him uncertainly. Then her face creased up and she broke down. He was across the room in one step and pulled her into his arms as she let it all out.

They ended up on the sofa, her on his lap in a reflection of the other night after her nightmare. Finally, her sobs subsided and she stilled in his arms, her head against his chest, his arms tightly around her, chin on her head.

“Tell me about the Jackie Tyler you knew...” she asked him quietly into his chest.

“She was a great woman. Rose always came first.”

“Yeah? What about Pete.. and... and Tony...?”

“Well, that Rose never knew her father, he was killed in a car accident when Rose was a baby. In that Universe Tony was never born. It was just the two of them. They lived happily in that little flat in Bucknall House...”

“So you took Rose away from her?”

“She was nineteen and ready to explore the world, we often went back... Jackie had a way with me... put the fear of God in me, if I'm truthful... but she was almost like a mum to me too... you know I talked about another parallel where Rose got trapped? Well, she got trapped there with Jackie...”

“What?”

“When we first went there, there was a Cyber war and the Jackie Tyler from that dimension was killed, leaving the Pete there a widower... that couple never had any children at all... well, when the world's were in danger Pete of that dimension who was head of Torchwood by then, came to find me. He met Jackie Tyler of the other dimension and it was inevitable that they would fall for each other...”

“So... you paired them off? Is that what you do? Hop from dimension to dimension matchmaking?” She put her face up to him and stared at him, big soulful eyes turned upon him. You might say there was anger, but she was so closed that it was almost like there was no emotion there at all. Like she had been drained completely.

“No, Rose... it was quite by accident that we happened upon that universe in the first place and Pete found us out the second time... they only got trapped there to save their lives and...”

“And they lived happily ever after? It doesn't work like that though... because Pete Tyler of this universe will never reunite with his Jackie or anyone else's and, if I'm not mistaken, that Rose, your Rose; is travelling another universe while her mother and... step-father, for want of a better term; are on another?”

“She's not my Rose and that Rose's mother was on her own for nineteen years, she had accepted that she had had her time with him, fleeting as it was.”

“It's like whatever universe we're in the Tyler's are destined to be apart... either through death or between parallels...”

“There is something else... that Jackie and Pete, the reunited pair, they had a baby together... a boy...”

“Tony?” The Doctor nodded slowly and Rose began to cry again, but this was much less heart breaking, it was more like tears of relief.

“There's a certain symmetry in all your lives, some good and some bad...”

“Can we go there? I'd... really love to meet him... to see him?”

“It isn't possible to just jump into a parallel... it was by accident or at great expense to the walls of the universes... maybe we will one day, but you still have a father here...” 

“Do you think we can patch it up?”

“I know so... some really horrible things have happened in your lives but I don't think the love ever went... you two are going to need each other...”

“That sounds like you don't intend on hanging about...”

“I'll always be here, if you want me to be...”

“That's the only thing I am sure about... I killed Jimmy Stone, I'm a murderer... there's no frills, no embellishment’s. It's a fact. I killed him because he shot my parents, because he took me into his bed under false pretence's. He was a horrible man, made my life a living hell... worse than it already was... he gave me no way of repairing my broken world... but amongst all of this, there's one shining light. It feels like a candle with the flame flickering at the moment, one gust of wind and it's gone... I'm standing here with my hands cupped around it desperately trying to keep it alight... you're the one thing in my life that Jimmy Stone didn't destroy...”

It was a heart breaking speech and the Doctor was torn between anguish and relief when she had finished. He said nothing, just held her, wondering how he was going to even begin repairing her.

“You were here three years and you didn't think to even look for me?” she said softly, and it was quite obvious she had been thinking about this for a while.

“Rose, it wasn't my place to do that, I wasn't just going to find you and say I used to be someone who was in love with your doppelgänger so we must be made for each other, was I? Besides, there was no guarantee that there was a you here...” She didn't respond, just carried on gazing at him, waiting for him to continue. “I didn't know about everything until that chance meeting with your mother and then as soon as I knew you were in trouble, I came, without hesitation... even without thinking how you might react...”

“I don't blame you, we've just wasted so much time.... I didn't think that I could have, or deserved anything better and now you... you've happened to me and if you had of looked me up I might have had three years less of that hell... you might not have been alone all this time... things might be quite different now...” She didn't say what they both were thinking,this time it didn't need to be said.

 

“It didn't even cross my mind... Time Lord's were educated about dimensions and dimension hopping, we were told never to interfere with them... it doesn't always work like that and, when you've digested it all, I'm sure you going to want to know more about the other places and other lives, but I was just doing what I was programmed to do in a way. I'm so, so sorry for not coming sooner...” 

She relaxed back into his chest. “I loved my mum, you know? She let me down when I needed her most, but I can understand why, she annoyed the hell out of me, but I loved her. Only reason I fell out with Dad was cos of how he treated her, but I can sort of understand why he behaved they way he did too...”

“You all went into self destruct as a reaction, destroying yourselves, destroying one another. If I had known how it was going to end...”

“Sshh... it's okay... Mum died honourably... she would have wanted that... Torchwood are proud of her... she'll probably get an award. Her last act was a mother's act... I get it... it hurts, but I get it. I may be able to have a relationship with my father now, if he pulls through...”

“He will...” he whispered and Rose nodded.

“The thing is, all that pales into insignificance when I look at you... and this scares me. You are everything and I'm worried that I've latched onto you, that that is what I do. The constance in my life. I said it before at the hospital... what if I'm jumping from man to man... surely I should stand on my own two feet?”

“Oh, Rose... you've been standing on your own two feet since you were fifteen... nobody has supported you but you... Jimmy Stone never looked after you... quite the opposite... I want to look after you but, here's the thing... I want you to look after me right back...”

“You do?”

“Oh Rose, you know... maybe this random dimension I chose to come to wasn't so random, maybe fate played a hand in sending me here. Trouble is fate didn't tell me... as soon as I saw you, coming out of that shitty little flat, I wanted to make you safe... and I was going to make sure you stayed that way once you were... I didn't know I was going to fall in love with you, but somewhere along the way I just couldn't help myself...”

“You love me?”

“I do... is that okay?”

“How can you love me? I'm nobody special... I just look like someone you used to love and who you lost... you barely know me.”

“Rose, it has nothing to do with my old life... these past few days have been so special, you are so unbelievably special... I haven't been living, I've been existing,I may have rescued you but I think you rescued me right back.”

“Like _she_ did...”

“Are you jealous of her?”

“No... maybe... I don't know... you say you have the memories... when you first saw me, did you actually see me? You may not want me to dye my hair, but you certainly keep telling me I need to fill out...”

“Not because of her, it was because you looked so thin and unhealthy... I was concerned for you... a few more days without a decent meal and you could have ended up in hospital.”

“No... I didn't eat much, but I did eat...”

“All right, that may have been an exaggeration but me wanting you to fill out was nothing to do with her!” 

“I'm sorry, I don't think that's entirely true.”

“What does it matter? Okay, I went after you because the Rose Tyler I remember managed to escape Jimmy Stone before any damage was done. When I found out I felt that something must have gone very wrong and I wanted to try and right it... But Rose, to think I want you because you're like her? Yes, it's only been a matter of days, but what wonderful days they were before today... I didn't love you before we spent this time together... I love you because we've spent this time together..”

“Even now?”

“Now?”

“After what I've done?”

“I'm not in a place to judge you, I don't judge you... even part of me, I'm almost ashamed to say, is glad that you did that. But nothing has changed...”

“Everything has changed...”

“Not between us... I still feel the same... Jimmy Stone is gone, forever. You will need to come to terms, not with his death, but with your mother's. But so far as I'm concerned, you are still you and I love you, Rose Tyler...”

Tears were trickling down Rose's cheeks again as she absorbed his words, but she was nodding.

“I think I must love you too... I've never felt this way before about anyone and the thought of losing you would break me in two... What you say is true. Jimmy Stone is better off dead. I'm not pleased that I done it, but it's done. Mum though... do you think you have the patience to see me through all that?”

“I do...”

“Whatever did I do to deserve you?”

“You got that the wrong way around...” They gazed at each other for a long while.

“I need a wee...” she said, getting up reluctantly, but her legs gave way and he caught her as she came back down again.

“You're done in... you need a bath and bed... I'll make you something to eat while you're washing...”

“Not hungry...” He stood up with her in his arms and headed towards the bathroom.

“We'll see... just a sandwich and a cup of tea...” He set her down. She looked at him in fear.

“Don't go!”

“You want me to stay while you use the loo? Look, have a wee and I'll come and run you a bath, okay?” He understood her not wanting to be alone, he had been there many times before although he hadn't always been able to do anything about it. That’s why companions. For company.

She sat on the closed toilet while he ran her a hot bath, he had some Venuthian vanilla bubble bath that he had pilfered from the TARDIS three years ago in his deep pockets. It was a known relaxant and he knew she would get little sleep without some help after all that had happened.

“There, ten minutes... don't want you falling asleep in there...” Rose looked at him, her eyes almost closed just at the aroma. He sighed. “Come on... off...” he helped her up and indicated her clothes.

“Don't go...” she pleaded again and he took a deep breath and turned away. Rose undressed, throwing her stained clothes into a pile in the corner and then submerged herself in hot vanilla bubbles. “Okay...” He turned and his breath caught again. She smiled weakly at him. “Sorry...”

“It's okay... I understand...” And he really did, he had felt a responsibility towards countless deaths when he was a Time Lord, he understood more than anybody.

He knelt at the bath and took up a cup, filled it with water and poured it over Rose's hair, she sighed and closed her eyes.

Very gently, he began to wash her hair, using the Venuthian bubble bath as shampoo, putting a large drop on the palm of his hand and softly massaging it into her scalp. He took his time, his breath catching at each relaxed sigh that escaped her. He rinsed her hair thoroughly and looked down at her. Her eyes opened, pupils so large he couldn't make out the amber of her irises underneath. Her breath hitched and she looked at him almost pleading. But he shook his head.

“Not like this, I don't want to take advantage of your grief and your exhaustion...”

“There always seems to be an excuse... but I am tired... so tired...” She yawned and he nodded, not wanting to tell her about the bubble bath just yet. He stood and pulled the biggest bath sheet from the rail and held it up, hiding behind it. He heard her rise from the water, felt her walk into it and pulled it around her, completely swathing her in it's white, fluffy softness. His arms automatically encircled her and he kissed her gently with the promise of 'soon' on his lips.

He picked her up in her towel and carried her into the bedroom, setting her down on the bed.

“I'm going to make that sandwich now, you get yourself dry and decent, then pop into bed, okay?”

“You'll stay with me though?” he stopped at the door, looking back at her wrapped in the white towel, her little tired, wet head poking out,her eyes softly pleading.

“I'm always going to stay with you...”


	18. Chapter 18

He opened his eyes to find she was staring at him thoughtfully, there was a familiar sadness in her eyes that he couldn't reach that made him feel a little useless but she was looking at him with a fondness that he would treasure on the worst days of her grief.

“So this meta-crisis thingy?” she said with no preamble.

“Yes..?” he croaked patiently. Obviously the cogs had been spinning and the conversation wasn't quite over yet.

“That's why you're part-alien?”

“Yeah, just my memories mostly...”

“So you loved her?”

“The Time Lord I once was loved her...” he nodded, wondering where this was going.

“That why we're so drawn to each other?”

“I think we would have been drawn to one another anyway... if anything, because of that life we met... but so far as I'm concerned that's where it ends... I don't love her...”

“Is that everything... all your darkest secrets are out now?”

“That's it... just that I used to be a face changing alien from another dimension who loved a girl that looked exactly like you... there are no other secrets. Anything else you'll find out along the way... although I will have to tell you about my ship...” He was watching her warily as he said this.

“Your ship?” she asked sharply. He was going to have to be very careful about differentiating between the Time Lord and himself, he could tell.

“Well, his ship and the one that I'm growing...”

“You're growing a ship?” Her eyes rounded and he sat up, his throat dry, but she had obviously been awake a while and had been thinking.

“Yeah... my experiment that you gate crashed...” he nodded his head towards the door as if pointing to the spare bedroom/laboratory. 

“How can you grow a ship?”

“The coral is a cutting taken from his ship... she was a living sentient being capable of travelling through space and through time... I've been growing a new one... it might take a while, but now I have a reason to up the anti and start building...”

“A sentient being... wait, what? You want to leave here?”

“Leave? No! One day I want to show you what I was, I want to open the Universe up to you, there's so much out there just waiting for us to discover, Rose, I know that’s a lot to take in right now and if you don't want to, I completely understand... I just didn't want to hide anything from you...”

The phone ringing on his bedside interrupted them and Rose quickly leaned over him to answer it, a sudden, intimate contact making him jump as if he had had a shock.

“Hello?” Rose spoke into the receiver softly, she remained lying across him, their eyes met and locked, a breathtaking message passing between them and this time without words. “Yes... that's me... okay... I'll be there in about half an hour... thanks for letting me know... bye...” She leaned back over, her body pressing further into him, and replaced the receiver onto it's cradle.

“The hospital?” he whispered, their faces so close together he could feel her breath on him.

“Yes, they're going to bring Dad round... want me to be there... break the news...”

“You want me to come with you?”

“Sorry... I assumed you would... I shouldn't take it for granted...” she moved to get off him, but he grabbed her, kept her there.

“I want you to take it for granted that I'd come...” There was a long moment while they studied each other's faces and then, gently she lowered her mouth onto his.

The kiss started off softly and then a sense of urgency took over and suddenly there was a collision of tongues and he threw off the cover and pulled her tightly into him, her body melding against his, so every bump and crevice could be felt through their thin nightwear.

It was a passion ignited and he wasn't able to stop this time as he began his claim on this broken woman who he unequivocally loved. 

He was stroking her back, his hands beginning to explore but it was her that pulled back before things went further.

“My Dad?” she panted, her chest rising against his and he groaned, bit his lip and nodded.

“Of course...” He fell back with another groan, letting her go and she observed him, her eyes scanning his excited body. “I'm so sorry... it's just so hard...” He stopped mid sentence, a blush creeping up his neck. Rose's eyes rounded in shock and then she burst into a spasm of uncontrollable laughter.

He watched on, completely taken with the sight of the transformation that this action had on her and then as quickly as she had started, she stopped, looking guilty. He pulled the covers over himself and grabbed her hands, shaking his head.

“Don't feel guilty... please...”

“Mum died and I'm having a laugh with you... course I'm gonna feel guilty!”

“With me? More like at me... and who could blame you? It was funny... do you think your mum would begrudge you a sense of humour? No... she wouldn't... she would probably laugh at that herself... not that she would ever have... I mean...”

“Do you want a spade, Dr Noble?” Rose smiled sadly at him and then jumped up, flimsy nearly see-through nightie and everything. “We gotta get going...” 

The Doctor waited till she had locked herself in the en suite and then moaned loudly. This weak human body was so difficult to control, and he should really be behaving with a lot more decorum given the circumstances... but Rose was so sweet and her body pressed against his was so... and the taste of her on his mouth... and the smell of her arousal.... and these thoughts were doing him no good whatsoever.

He got up and walked quickly to the bathroom where he found time for a cold shower...

**********

In the taxi, Rose was looking pensively out of the window and he took her hand, giving it a light squeeze.

“What if he blames me?” she said suddenly, turning her head round to him.

“He won't... he's going to be sad, but he can't hold you responsible...”

“Sad... she was the love of his life!”

“Nobody likes to give bad news, Rose, unfortunately it's part of life...”

“Yeah... I guess I'm just going on past experience...”

“Well don't... it's not the same...”

“I know...” she bit her lip as if trying to stop herself saying something.

“What?”

“He was useless after Tony... I mean, Mum was angry, but he just went in on himself... he gradually spent less and less time at home, until it all kicked off... I've spent the last seven years being angry at him for being so weak... surely, as my father, he should have been the one to rescue me? There was never any attempt... he never even tried to make contact...”

“Well, I think that is a conversation that you and he will have to have one day... probably not today...” She smiled at him, even through her grief and worry.

“Yeah... just have to grit my teeth and get on with it for now...” She was obviously thinking of the gruelling few years that she had just endured with Jimmy Stone and he wanted to ask, but he stopped himself. 

'A time and a place...' he thought and pulled her into a hug as they pulled up outside the hospital. 

*********

Pete's eyes opened and looked on Rose slowly. She was standing at his bed side holding his hand.

“Jackie..?” he whispered, seeing what looked like a haze of blonde hair and not yet focusing on the rest.

“It's Rose, Dad...” she whispered.

“Rose? What's happened? Why are you here?” The Doctor was outside, they had decided that it was better that way for now.

“Don't you remember? Jimmy Stone shot you...” Pete looked a little confused and then gradually it began to dawn on him as he remembered.

“He didn't get you? Said he was gonna kill you... where's Jackie?”

“Oh, Dad... I'm so sorry...”

“Ain't your fault... he's a nasty piece of work... how many times he's warned me to stay away over the years... I should have... where's Jackie? She couldn't even forgive me now?”

“Dad, Jimmy shot her too... she died... trying to save you...”

“No... no... Rose, not my Jackie!” Pete's face creased into weak sobs and Rose leant in and tried to hug him around all the medical paraphernalia attached to him. He sobbed into her arms, her relief that he wasn't showing signs of any anger towards her making her feel guilty. This was about his wife (ex or not), not her.

“I'll kill him!” he sobbed angrily.

“He's already dead...” Rose pulled herself up, her face deadpan.

“Good... how?”

“I shot him...” Pete's eyes rounded and then he nodded his head in acceptance.

“It's all over then... but how will I go on knowing that Jackie will never forgive me now? All the time we were apart at least I had hope...”

“She forgave you, Dad, she loved you, she was so upset at your message.. she was getting you out of there no matter what, and so she did...” 

“I think Mr Tyler needs to rest a bit now, Ms Tyler, there'll be plenty of opportunity to catch up completely...” The nurse was hovering in the background

“Right...” Rose pulled herself upright, but Pete grabbed her hand.

“Don't leave... stay... sit with me...” Rose's eyes glanced to the door and then back at him.

“Okay...” She sat down and watched him, he was exhausted, but he kept a firm grip on her hand. She remained like this until he was asleep and then she extricated herself and joined the Doctor outside.

He stood up quickly and pulled her into his arms where she gently sobbed into his chest. They stood there rocking for a long while until she finally pulled back.

“I don't want to leave him just yet...”

“That's fine... I can stay.. or go... whatever you need me to do...” She smiled weakly at his words.

“You could go and get us some breakfast from the canteen? A nice cup of tea wouldn't be such a bad idea either...”

“Grateful to contribute...” he kissed her quickly, a slight linger as he pulled back and then he moved off to get her some food, because, he realised that neither of them had had anything since yesterday lunch and that was no way to look after her.

They spent the whole day there, Pete in and out of consciousness, the Doctor got his PA to courier in a laptop so he could catch up on some work. They had lunch in the canteen together.

It was gruelling, Pete's grief was upsetting and Rose asked the Doctor on a number of occasions if she was cold for not feeling as much pain as her father.

“People deal with loss in different ways, you're dealing with it in your own way, doesn’t mean you aren't feeling it, I can see you are...” he had answered her and she was appeased for a while.

Mid afternoon, Pete perked up a little. He was still very upset, but his strength was returning and the machines were removed from him and he was able to sit up.

“So, who are you hiding from me out there?” he asked Rose eventually. He had noticed her furtive glances at the door. Wondered who she was meeting every now and again.

“Hiding? I'm not hiding anyone...” she answered blinking hard.

“Look, Rose, you don't owe me anything. I've been a terrible Dad, I couldn't deal with it all... I did try and get you away from that bastard, but he threatened to kill you, kill us all. I believed him then and I know now that he would have. We lost Tony and now we've lost your mum... I'd like us to try and if you've got someone special, I'd like to know about him or her...”

“I... he's a he...” And suddenly she was spilling out as much as she could about him (without all the parallel dimension bits) and it was very evident to Pete how very much in love his daughter was and it warmed his aching heart.

“I would love to meet him when I'm a bit stronger...” Pete was acutely aware of how pathetic and weak he must look lying there, not knowing the Doctor had been a witness to the awful message that had summoned them all to Jackie's fate. “It's getting on and I think I can manage the night without you... go home, but please come back tomorrow...”

Rose clicked the door shut and smiled at the Doctor, he was sat with the laptop on a chair beside him and looked at her over his glasses. He wasn't aware of what this action did to her, her stomach flipping and a warm desire beginning to curl deep inside her womb. 

“Let's go home...” she said softly to him.


	19. Chapter 19

She was feeling nervous when they got back to his flat and he could sense it but wasn't quite sure why.

“You okay?” he asked, switching on the side light, dropping his keys into the bowl and stroking her arm. She jumped and he pulled back. “You're scared?”

“No... not exactly scared... I just... well...”

“Rose, you can tell me anything, you know? I won't be angry or disappointed.... don't bottle it up, not from me...” Her big brown eyes searched his for a moment.

“It's just that... well... it's all over... I know, there's lots to sort out... Dad... Mum's funeral... Jimmy's inquest, but apart from that, I'm free... first time in my life, I'm free to choose what I want...” His heart was beating fast and sinking at the same time. He pulled her over to the sofa where they sat down facing each other.

“Yup... and why does that scare you?”

“I don't want to do anything wrong... make the wrong choices again...” Her voice was very low so he had to lean in to hear her. 

“Oh, Rose, I expect that there'll be plenty of mistakes along the way, that's natural. We all learn by our mistakes, big and little...”

“It's not just that, though.... I may have been with Jimmy a long time, but it don't make me very experienced... I'm a little worried about...” She stopped short and bit her lip and the penny dropped. He smiled, pulled her into his arms shaking his head, his heart now beginning to soar.

“Look, you don't have to do anything you don't want to... ever... we can take everything as slowly as you like... it's fine and if we never get there, that's fine too...”

“We haven't known each other long and I know I want to... but...”

“You don't have to explain it... it's okay...”

“No... but there are things I haven't told you... you know Jimmy was cruel...”

“Rose... you don't have to...”

“I know... but you need to know... he wasn't often violent... a couple of times after I tried to leave, then he got a little heavy with me... most of it was mind games, you know? Telling me I was ugly... fat... useless... eventually making me feel I was all those things... he never gave me money, never allowed me any freedom...”

“It's unforgivable, even to get violent with you a couple of times... but to tell you those things, even if you were any of them... totally unforgivable...”

“There was this one time that I left... I was only gone a couple of days... I had nobody to turn to, tried Mum that time, but we just argued... so I went back. Jimmy was furious... screaming all hell at me... tied me up... said I was never going to leave him again...”

“He tied you up?”

“Yes... and then he locked me in a cupboard in the dark, I begged him not to, but he left me like that for hours, days maybe. He went on a drinking binge... when he came back I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to the next morning. He dragged me out and sat on me. He had borrowed this tattoo gun from a mate of his. He pinned me down and...” She stopped and gulped looking at him with big, scared eyes.

“Rose?” The Doctor asked gently, dreading what was coming. She lifted her shirt and exposed her stomach for him to see. It was scarred and crude, bold blue writing around her belly button but it was clear what the lettering read.

**_'This is the property of Jimmy Stone'_ **

She was crying with humiliation as she showed him and he was devastated, not so much by the marks, but more how she came by them. He wrapped her tightly in his arms and rocked her, his anger rising again although there was nobody alive to be angry at now.

“It was awful, it hurt so much and it got infected and I think even he was sorry after he sobered and calmed down. I still think he got a thrill out of it though, whenever he saw it. Marked me as his for life.”

“Well... he's dead now and this... this can be dealt with... at least the visual of it can....”

“Really?” her tearful eyes looked at him in hopeful disbelief.

“Yes, I can sort that out, but it'll take longer for the damage he's done you inside to heal...”

“He said it would never be gone, that no one would ever touch me with that on there...”

“Oh well, did you ever seek advice about it?”

“No, but I read enough, used to sneak on to Jimmy's laptop, googled it and it seems that my only solution was to have it tattooed over with something pretty... not that Jimmy would ever have allowed that... but I would always know it was there anyway, even if it was covered up.”

“That's what scars do... emotional and physical, they stay with you unless you deal with them...”

“I think I'm beginning to... I have this brilliant Doctor, ever so patient and a bit of a genius...” It was the first time Rose had smiled and the Doctor smiled back, then suddenly he stood, alarming Rose a little.

“Be right back...” She waited numbly as the Doctor disappeared into his makeshift laboratory. He returned moments later holding a strange looking object in his hand. “Lie down...” She looked puzzled and worried but did as she was told, because she was conditioned to.

He pulled her top up, exposing the offending tattoo again and bought the object above and over her belly.

“What's that?” she gasped as a blue light shone out of it and she felt a strange tingling sensation on her stomach.

“Sonic Screwdriver, been working on it... never used this setting on something as drastic, but used it on scar tissue before and it usually helps...”

“And there was me thinking it was some kind of strange alien sex toy... sorry... it's nerves... drives me to say the most crazy things...” The Doctor had paused, a shocked expression on his face, then he shook his head and continued to pass the Sonic Screwdriver over Rose's tummy.

“Never apologise to me for sharing whatever's in your head... besides, there is a sort of phallic look to it when I think about it... not that it would ever be used for... oh lord, best for me not to say anything at all!”

Rose giggled and it was like music to his ears, she stopped herself again, an obvious guilt for having fun when she should be grieving.

“Did you talk to your dad about Jackie's funeral at all?” he asked after a while, changing the subject, but not exactly.

“We brushed on it... he said he'll pay but we've got to talk to Torchwood first, find out if any arrangements were put in place, go to her place, see if there's any evidence of what she wanted... although I think I know...”

“Yeah?” His eyes met hers briefly before returning to the job in hand.

“Yeah, I think we'll find Tony's ashes at hers... she always said that she wanted to be mixed with his and then scattered somewhere wonderful and memorable...”

“Well... I'm sure we can find somewhere like that one day...” he murmured. Rose watched him concentrating on her scar and wondered what was going on inside his head, but she didn't ask.

Eventually the Doctor stopped and Rose lifted her head up to look at what he'd done. The horrible mark was still visible but there was definite fading.

“It might take a few sessions, but this looks very hopeful...” he said softly stroking her stomach, not knowing what it did to her.

“Thank you so much.... you're going to obliterate the memory of that monster from my life, aren't you?” She sat up and pulled him into a hug.

“Well... that’s my intention... it's what I want to dedicate the rest of our lives to...” he mumbled in her ear, hugging her tightly. Unbeknownst to her, his eyes were glazed with tears. 

She pulled her head around and kissed him, her mouth exploring his slowly, without the urgency of earlier that morning. She was still half lying on the sofa and he was perched on it. Suddenly he slid off and landed on the floor with a bump. Rose giggled again and he looked at her with such adoration that she was quite overwhelmed by the depth of it. She pulled his lapels up and he climbed up onto the sofa with her. Their mouths connected again and he found himself lying beside her, his hand on her hip, thumb stroking a bit of bare skin at the top of her jeans.

Her hands weaved into his hair, gently tugging the down at the nape of his neck and stroking down his face, holding his chiselled cheeks in her hands. He pulled back, looking deep into her eyes.

“I love you...” she said softly, shyly trying out the words for the first time ever. His heart bloomed inside, but he knew he must keep some control, that Rose needed to go at her own pace.

“I love you too...” he whispered back and captured her lips again.

They continued a slow discovery of one another's mouths, his fingers finding the bare skin of her belly and tracing little symbols across her hips and back. She shivered at his touch but made no attempt to take this further. It wasn't exactly innocent and he was really worried that his excitement might let him down and she must have been aware of it pressing into her, but she said nothing. She was in the moment and it struck him that this was possibly the first time she had had a proper kissing session like this.

He ignored the fact that technically neither had he because he had many memories of such times from his other life. However, this was different. She didn't kiss like the other Rose, and he didn't feel like that Doctor. He was human now and God, human testosterone was such a remarkable thing!

His hands wandered up her back, cupped the underside of her bra, but he took it no further than that other then an occasional stroke of the thumb against her covered breast.

Rose pulled back and sighed, pressing her nose against his.

“You're such a gent...” she smiled.

“I have a dirty mind to make up for it...” he answered and saw her look of shock. “All in your own time, Rose, no worries... don't believe I've ever had quite so may cold showers as I have lately...” She giggled again and then looked a little worried. “What?”

“I just don't want to sleep on my own... but don't want to make you uncomfortable... it wouldn't be fair on you...”

“I'm sorry, I just assumed... comfy as this sofa is, I miss my bed... so that’s where I'll be... separate blankets... of course...”

“Of course...” she grinned, a little tip of her tongue tripping the corner of her mouth.

“I'll behave myself...” he said, leaning forward and kissing her nose. She couldn't admit it , but she felt a little stab of disappointment at his words. Clearly, her body wanted him to misbehave.

“Must be time for bed...” she said in a light sing-song voice.

“Must be...” He kissed her again, then pulled back and reluctantly unknotted himself from her body.

They went to their respective bathrooms and got ready for bed. Rose was in a turmoil. She wanted to wait and yet she didn't. He was waiting for her to tell him she was ready and she knew it was too soon. But it felt so right, so natural.

She put on a shortie set that fitted her very well, tight across the boobs and bum showing a lot of skin without looking slutty. She brushed her teeth vigorously and after plumping out her hair she entered the bedroom wondering with breathy excitement what this night had in store.


	20. Chapter 20

Rose got into bed and waited for the Doctor to come in, arranging herself prettily three times before feeling the nip of the night chill and burrowing deep into her quilt. Her quilt. How ridiculous that sounded, they were two consenting adults sleeping in the same bed and yet they seemed to have this wall built up between them that prevented them from letting things go to far in bed.

She had never felt desire before and she wasn't sure quite how to deal with it, nor how to behave with him.

She admired how well behaved he was with her, showing her such respect and being so gentle with her, but at the same time, she wanted him to step up and take control, to do all the things she imagined him doing to her. Things that had never been done to her before.

Jimmy had been a very selfish person in everything and for him sex had been, to put it crudely, two jerks and a squirt. He then expected Rose to convince him what a man he was and how much she had enjoyed it. She hadn't ever enjoyed herself with him. She had felt a little sick and very used and that was it.

She wanted this man so much, she didn't think he knew quite how important this next step was to her. To eradicate those awful, useless fumbles with Jimmy and replace them with real toe curling love making would mean a new beginning for her.

She sighed loudly and then threw one of the quilts off the bed and spread the other over her neatly making sure there was room for him as well. Where was he anyway?

****

The Doctor wanted to give Rose plenty of time to cool down, she was very overheated and so was he and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. Something in him was holding back, he didn't want to make a mess of it and Rose had already been through so much dreadful stuff that he knew it had to be perfect. She was all for just getting down to the nitty gritty, but he wanted the whole romantic enchilada. Like... like a honeymoon... what? Is that where this was headed? How would Rose feel about this idea?

After all, it was her that had expressed a want to spread her wings, to find some kind of independence, to not be tied down to a man. But then she wanted to be with him, long term. It was a bit mixed. All he knew was that he had to do this right, there was no room for mistakes and he was pretty sure if he messed up there would be no second chances. Not much pressure there, then.

He would have to lay his cards out on the table. It wasn't a time to play games. They were both adults, but it had to be something very special. A spectacular beginning.

He headed for the spare room, briefly checked the coral and moved on to the filing cabinet on the other side of the room.

Here was a jumble of things that he had extracted from his blue suit pockets. Half of it was a load of rubbish, sentimental souvenirs. Quite a lot of it, he couldn't even remember where he got it or what it was for. He rummaged about, looking for something specific that he was sure he had put in here. He remembered the bitter feeling of victory he had had when he found it. That he had deprived the Time Lord of this had been a good feeling at the time. 

Now he wondered, not for the first time, if the impulsive running from them had not been as impulsive as he had originally thought. Fate had a funny way of directing things. Did he end up here because he was supposed to? Had he taken the item he searched because it was already ordained? It didn't matter, he was glad to be here, glad that he had got Rose out of her nightmare even though it had had such a messy ending.

As he searched he was vaguely aware that his phone was ringing in the other room, no matter, it was late, the answer machine would pick it up. It was probably work related anyway.

His hand finally closed around the box he had been searching for and then he heard Rose clear her throat and spun around. She was dressed and looked really worried.

“Rose? What's wrong?” he asked, standing up, holding the box behind his back.

“That was the hospital on the phone, they wouldn't say what was wrong, but they want me in as soon as I can get there... an emergency... something's wrong, I know it...”

He was across the room in a trice, pulling her into his arms and trying to comfort her, but she was rigid, already accepting whatever she felt had happened.

He got dressed quickly, shoving the box deep into his pocket, not giving it another thought as his worry was firmly fixed on Rose again. They left quickly, there was nothing he could say to reassure her. It was very late. The hospital wouldn't ring if it was something unimportant.

The roads were pretty clear and the taxi got them there swiftly. They hurried in without words and the lift taking them up to Pete's ward was empty. Still there were no words, so the Doctor silently took her in his arms and held until the lift stopped.

With a deep breath and clutching onto the Doctor's hand, Rose stepped through the doors.

**********

Subdural haematoma. 

It had started as a small bleed and had gone unnoticed purely because they were concentrating on all his other injuries. He had had a scan initially, when he was first admitted, but the bleed at that point had been so small that it hadn't been picked up. 

It was obvious that the hospital were worried, but Rose didn't blame anyone. These sorts of things happened, it seemed they frequently happened to her. As bereft as she was to have him taken away from her so soon after they had started to reconciliate, so soon after the death of his wife, she accepted it almost far too easily.

He had died before they had even left the flat. There were no last words. He'd just slipped away in his sleep and that was the end of it.

Rose hadn't cried, she had just accepted it as if she were being punished and the Doctor felt completely useless, unable to get to her. It was almost like a part of her had died too.

They travelled home together a couple of hours later, it had been as quick and simple as that. Pete now lay in the morgue with his wife. Rose had seen him laid out, said a sort of goodbye and not long after that they had left.

“Rose...” The Doctor had pulled her into his arms and held her when they got in. She let him, resting her head on his chest, letting her misery overwhelm her.

“It's okay... I get it, I was silly and selfish. I thought I deserved to be happy... so the universe punished me by taking my entire family from me...” Her voice was muffled but he still heard every single word, recognising a familiarity in them that stung.

“No... it's an unfortunate turn of events, but it isn't because you did anything wrong, Rose. You're not responsible...”

“No? Jimmy Stone said he's kill my family if I ever left him, I stayed with him mostly because of those threats and when I actually, properly did leave him, look what happened. If I hadn't have gone with you that day...”

“Don't say it... please don't say it...”

“My misery was worth their lives surely?”

“Never... and if they truly loved you, Rose, which I'm sure deep down they did, they would never have agreed with you.”

“Mum knew... she knew I stayed with him to keep him tame... she knew what a loose cannon he was... how the whole of London suffered if I wasn't there to calm him down.” 

“Maybe she did, but I still don't believe that she would have agreed to you putting up with all that abuse just for her. For the rest of the world, but not for her.”

“What if I lose you too?” She pulled back, wide worried eyes, still dry, no tears yet shed for her father.

“It's not going to happen, Rose... you're stuck with me now...”

“Like a millstone around your neck? I'm an albatross, Doctor, the best thing you could do is run from me... run and don't look back...”

“No... if you don't want me, if you don't love me, if you don't need me, then I would never force myself on you, never force you to stay with me. But we belong together... I want you... I love you... I need you... and I think, I hope, you still feel the same...”

“How can you ask me how I'm feeling? I feel numb... I feel hopeless... but here you are, still with me... you're all I've got now... I thought that about Jimmy at one point... he made me feel that way at least.”

“I'm not going to put any pressure on you either way... I just want you to know that I'm here for you, that I'll always be here for you.”

“I know... my head is booming...I'm just so tired...”

“Would you like to go to bed?”

“For about a hundred years...” She nodded and he pulled her cautiously back into his arms. She put up no fight and rested her face on his chest again.

They walked to the bedroom together in silence and inside, the Doctor took some control, seeing that Rose was completely emotionally and physically done in.

He sat her on the bed and removed her trainers and socks. Then he unzipped her jacket and put it on the chair behind him.

“Rose?” he said softly, not wanting to go any further without her consent.

“It's fine, I can manage...” He nodded sadly, picked up the quilt and turned to go. “You're not staying?” He swung back around.

“I thought you didn't want me... I mean, of course I'll stay if you want me to...”

“Please stay... don't think I could last the night without you... how pathetic is that?”

“It's not pathetic... Rose... I want to stay, I'm just going on what you want now...”

“Stay?” She asked again and he nodded slowly.

This time there were no coy games, no surreptitious little looks. She undressed to knickers and t-shirt and got into bed. He followed suit, climbing in beside her, realising that there was only one quilt on the bed. It didn't matter, she wriggled her body into his and they wrapped themselves up in each other.

His body didn't react to the near naked body curled into him, not in the same way it had been. He was too worried about her for any of that.

“Doctor?” Rose said softly.

“Rose?”

“I'm sorry... I love you so much and I wouldn't blame you if you did run. I bring trouble with me, it seems, but I need you to know all them things about wanting and needing and... loving? I feel the same too...”

“I'm not going anywhere, not without you...”

Rose feel asleep in his arms pretty quickly, but he lay awake for some hours wondering how they could move on from this double tragedy and it wasn't until the birds began their morning chorus and daylight began to peek over the horizon that he drifted off.


	21. Chapter 21

He woke to find the bed empty. He sat up and Rose was at the dressing table applying make up very carefully as if putting on war paint. It was startling to see her transformed. In truth, he preferred her without. There was a lovely innocence with it that he treasured and this looked a little more like the girl he once knew. The girl that had turned her back on him as if he were nothing.

She was wearing the black jeans that he had bought her and a white shirt. There was a black jacket hanging on the door that he seemed to recognise but wasn't sure of.

“Hello?” he said softly, quizzically. 

She looked at him in the mirror, “Hi...”

“What's going on?”

“I have stuff to do... lots to organise... woke up and couldn't not make a start at it...”

“Oh?” Rose turned in her seat.

“I have two funeral's to organise, two lawyers to visit, two houses to sort out... I barely know where to begin, but I do know that lying in bed worrying about it all won't get it done!”

“You don't have to do it all on your own, though Rose, and certainly not all at once.”

“I need to make a start.” She stood and plucked the jacket off the door.

“I want to help...” She stood staring at him as if trying to find the right words.

“Don't I have to stand on my own two feet? I don't want to push you away, but I do have this feeling that I shouldn't lean on you for everything...”

“Rose, I want you to be a strong independent woman, I really do. But for the right reasons. If there was any a time that another person needed someone to rely on, then it's now. I want to support you in any way I can. Just let me be with you, I promise not to interfere, you're in charge.”

Rose gazed at him for a long moment and then gave her head an almost imperceptible nod. “Fine... I just got my walls all built up and you seem to have the knack of breaking through them...”

“I aim to please...”

“Well... if you're coming you need to get a move on... I'm seeing Dad's solicitors at ten... taxi's on the way...” She slung on the jacket that looked a little familiar. He didn't ask her how she came by it. He knew she would tell him in her own time.

He got up and made his way to the bathroom, but as he passed her, he stopped and, as if magnetised to her, he stood right in front of her, “Good morning...” he said softly. She had to crane her neck to look up into his face. A sad smile crossed her face.

“Hi...” she answered again and their lips met very gently. She broke away first, eyebrow slightly raised. “Taxi'll be here soon...” He nodded and carried on towards the bathroom and she left the bedroom to wait for him.

 

They held hands as they entered the formidable building in Chancery Lane and approached the reception. They were shown to a comfortable plush waiting area, but didn't have to wait long before a very well polished woman in high heels came to fetch them.

Augustus Hamilton the Third looked at the young couple over his half moon spectacles and sighed. It was the third will reading he had done already this week and this young lady was by far the youngest recipient. It was horrible, all this dealing with death business, but very necessary.

“Rose Marion Tyler?”

“How do you do?” she said politely, face pinched and Hamilton introduced himself and asked them both to sit down.

It was a great deal of faff that they had to sit and listen to and then Augustus finally got to the nitty gritty.

Rose was the soul beneficiary to a small fortune. Pete Tyler had done well with his fizzy drinks range which were said to help prevent or at least slow down many aspects of ageing. 

Rose was in fact the heir to the Vitex fortune with just one proviso. That was that one Mr Jimmy Stone was never allowed anywhere near her again. As the firm had been quickly advised by the board of both Jimmy and Pete's death, the proviso was null and void and Rose was worth a great deal of money.

“I don't want it...” she said flatly and without emotion.

“Rose...” The Doctor muttered, shaking his head.

“No... I'm in charge, you said... I'm not interested in it... none of it...”

“What do you propose I do with it, Ms Tyler? The money, the shares, the company, the properties?”

“I don't care what you do with it! Get rid of it... give it away... I don't want it!”

“Thousands of people's lives depend on that company, Rose... jobs that feed families... and that money? You could put it to such good use helping people who need it... people like you... it's up to you what you do with it, but stop and think, don't let your anger and your grief cloud your judgement, please?” Rose blinked hard but didn't answer.

“Is that possible without me having to be part of it?” She asked Hamilton after a long pause.

“There is a board that runs the company, it could easily be altered... there's some young blood Pete... um... Mr Tyler... sourced, that would love to get there teeth into making that money do some good. Such a waste for it to sit around in a bank getting bigger all the time.”

“Did you know my dad well?”

“Pete and I were friends... he was a good man, a great loss...” The old man's eyes watered as he nodded and Rose warmed to him.

“Well, as my friend says, there needs to be some thought out into this, but it would seem in order for that money to be put to good use there may need to be some restructuring.”

“Of course... I could set up a meeting with the board?”

“I'm not ready to go into it all now... I have my parents funerals to organise and some time to get my head around it all. Things can bubble along as they have been, I trust?”

“Of course Ms Tyler...”

“Rose, call me Rose...”

“People just tend to call me Hamilton... Rose...”

“Is that everything?”

“Your father owns some property...”

“A house?”

“A flat in the city, a country house... an apartment in ...” But Rose stopped him.

“He was filthy rich...”

“You could say that, all quite recent... he'd also been investing in government departments... but we can leave that for now...”

“No.. I want to know, I barely knew him, I want to know what got him interested.”

“He's been heavily investing in Torchwood for some years now. A fascination with alien threats seemed to have driven him, that and his ex wife, your mother's, involvement with it.”

“Did she know?”

“I very much doubt it... he wanted complete anonymity.”

“But why? Why would he do that?”

“He wanted to keep an eye on your mother, make sure she was safe. He was very proud of her. Always harboured a wish for reconciliation...”

“Why did he fuck up then?”

“Rose!”

“It's fine, Dr Noble, Ms. Tyler... Rose... has been through enough, I think we can allow her to let off steam... Pete loved your mother very much, he never referred to her as his ex even after the Decree Absolute. He wanted to bring you both home to the country house. His mistake wasn't entirely his fault.”

“Yeah... but he still made that 'mistake' with a woman just a couple of years older than me an' all!” 

“Bonnie was a set up... she was on a payroll... she was paid to target Pete at his most vulnerable... that whole event that was on every newspaper around the world was fabricated. Bonnie stayed around for longer purely because she wanted some of your father's wealth. It didn't take him that long to kick her into touch, but by then the damage was done.”

“Who... who paid her to 'target' him?”

“Jimmy Stone. Bonnie told Pete herself when he threw her out. She was very cruel.”

“Even from the grave...” Rose muttered, but the Doctor took her hand and held it tight, keeping her grounded.

“Pete left a letter for you and a letter for his wife in my care, to be handed over to you both if ever anything happened to him. I think you can have them both in this event. It might explain things better to you.” Hamilton pulled out a couple of envelopes and handed them to her.

“Thanks for your help, Mr Hamilton, I think I need to go away and digest this, but you have my contact details, you know where I am if you need me.”

“Of course, you'll be staying at the same address?”

“Yes... where did you expect me to go?”

“The country house had been readied for you... I think it would have pleased him very much to think you were there. Here, take the keys, in your own time, but it might be worth a look... I'd very much like to come to the funeral, pay my respects. I considered your father a friend.”

Rose took the two stiff envelopes and the ornate bunch of keys and stood up, the Doctor followed suit. They said their goodbyes and left.

It was quite obvious Rose was angry as they left the building but there was nothing the Doctor could do that would make it any better, so he remained quietly beside her waiting for her to speak.

“Why did he do it? Why did Jimmy Stone destroy my life? What did I do to him that made me deserve that?” She was near enough shouting at him in the street and now he knew he could speak up.

“He wanted to possess you completely... he was jealous of anything you held dear and therefore he wanted to keep you all apart...”

“But why?”

“Because in his own sick way, Rose, he loved you and he knew deep down that you never loved him. He couldn't cope with it, so, I think, it was his way of punishing you for not feeling like he did...”

“You sound like you feel sorry for him!”

“No... just because I understand him, doesn't mean I sympathise.”

“So this all happened because I didn't love him?”

“No... it happened because he was a sick individual... most people who don't have their feelings reciprocated move on... they try to get over it, find someone who does love them. You didn't love him because he wasn't a very nice man, Rose.”

They had stopped in the street facing each other and Rose paused, digesting his words.

“It still all came true, he said he would kill them if I ever left him...”

“It still doesn't make it your fault. You didn't make it happen, he did.”

The distant sound of the Great Bell could be heard striking eleven and Rose jumped.

“We're late... Taxi!” She stuck her arm out as a familiar black Hackney passed. It stopped.

“Where are we off to now?” he asked as they got in.

“Torchwood... Mum's lawyer is based there... I made an appointment for eleven. Canary Wharf please...” the latter was addressed to the driver.

“Rose, don't you think this is all too much? I mean you've found out so much this morning already, don't you need time to stop and think?”

“I want to get it all done, Doctor. I made an appointment at the undertaker's for twelve...”

As the black cab accelerated towards the city they sat back. She took his hand and smiled sadly at him. “Thanks for being here with me, I know I'm being a cow at the moment. It's the only way I know how to get through this.”

“It's fine, Rose... you're doing fine, but you don't need to put the barrier up around me, I don't want to be frozen out.”

“That's one of the reasons I need to get this all sorted out. At least we can start our life together untethered... I forgot to ask you, do you have any family?”

“Nope, none surviving, it's just me...”

“Well... now we have each other.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI, sorry about the delay, RL getting in the way... here's a short offering X

The Doctor wasn't sure whether he wanted to go into the Torchwood building. He was never comfortable with this organisation, but he wanted to be with Rose. Her anger outside Pete's solicitor’s was a sure sign of the emotion bubbling underneath and he knew that at some point she wasn't going to be able to keep up the typically British stiff upper lip. She was going to break at some point and he didn't want that happening without him.

They were shown up to the admin department and waited in a swanky, modern room with wall to ceiling windows, a big white sofa and bean bags. Stark contrast to the traditional office they had just come from.

“Relax...” she said sitting right by him and he wasn't sure if she was speaking to him or to herself. 

“I've never liked this place...” he said softly.

“Do you come here often?” she asked with an almost cheeky grin.

“Never been here... not here here...”

“Oh... well here here could be completely different to there there?” 

“That rather got away from you, didn't it?”

They were giggling when Jackie's solicitor entered the room looking very sombre and a little shocked at their seemingly heartless display.

“Hi, Rose... I'm Greg... I really feel for you... such a loss... how are you coping?” He was smooth and a little creepy, immediately making her feel uncomfortable with the way he kept on looking at her chest.

“Yeah... it's been quite hard...” she answered, pulling the jacket around her, unconsciously trying to cover herself up.

“So...down to business... Jackie didn't exactly have a will per say, but as Torchwood's legal team, we're in charge of all that stuff. Obviously, any property goes to you... I don't know if you're aware that each Torchwood agent always has to have maximum insurance. You stand to have a rather hefty payout from that too...”

“I don't...” she stopped as the Doctor squeezed her hand and gently shook his head.

“There's not a great deal of information to give you though. Jackie was a very private person, kept herself to herself... she was pretty friendly with Bev in the canteen... the tea was so much better here once that friendship struck up...”

“Sounds just like Mum...” 

“We do offer a funeral package too, unless you have other plans?”

“I was planning to send my Mum and Dad off together, but obviously, if anyone from here wants to attend, I'll let you know the when and the where.”

“Right then, I have an address here for you in Wapping, we'll send any paper work on... there’s also her flat in the city... not far from here.... her locker has been emptied, there's a box in reception, but we can send that on too if you'd rather?”

“Yes, that would be better, we're on to the funeral parlour from here. I have the keys to her flat... thank you for seeing us...”

 

“It was a pleasure, a massive shame it was in such tragic circumstances. I gather Commander Tyler was very interested in you, Dr Noble?”

“Sorry?” The Doctor had been very quiet and was pulled out of himself by the almost dismissive tone that this man talked to him with. It was very clear he believed he had a better chance with Rose and it made the Doctor want to put a possessive arm around her, staking a claim. But he knew he couldn't. Rose didn't need two grown men pissing on their patches in order to impress her.

“It's no secret, she wanted to recruit you into our alien artefact department... you know the sciencey geeky division?” He looked at Rose as if he were sharing a private joke with her. It didn't go down well.

“The Doctor is too busy for all that, aren't ya?” Rose pulled herself into him, showing this smooth operator exactly why she had bought this man along with her, and also feeling very glad that she had bought him along with her. She would have been very upset and uncomfortable on her own with Greg. 

The Doctor, with much relief, draped his arm across her shoulders and smiled coldly at Greg. “Just as Rose says, I have my own business to be getting along with...”

It was such a contrast leaving this building from the previous one. She had been furious coming out of that one, but they both burst into fits of laughter outside this one.

“His face!” giggled Rose.

“Well... he needed to be told!”

“He was a bit of a perv... fancied himself rotten too!”

“A perv?” Obviously the Doctor had missed the letching.

“Kept looking at my... you know my...” she glanced down, a flush suddenly creeping up her neck. The Doctor looked down and back up and then back down again.

“I missed that bit... thought he was a bit too pally, but I would have said something if I knew he had a wandering eye....” He could feel a steady wave of anger towards Greg that was a struggle to keep control of.

“It's never happened to me before... no one would have dared in front of Jimmy... sort of life affirming and horrific at the same time. I'm, just an ordinary girl fending off the pervs... just like everyone else... sort of normalising... is that even a word?”

“Yes, it's a word... but there's really nothing ordinary about you, Rose Tyler...” He pulled her into his arms and she willingly let him, letting out a sigh that she had been holding onto maybe all day. 

She felt like she was home when she was in his arms. A part of her had been fighting this since her parents... since she realised that losing him in such a way would be so horrific that is some ways she almost felt it would be better to lose him while he was still breathing and in one piece.

But she couldn't... she needed him like she needed air and she was pretty sure he felt the same way. Was it callous and selfish to be thinking of herself at this awful time of loss? She didn't care any more. She had never had a selfish bone in her body and maybe it was time to think of herself?

“What are you thinking about?” He broke into her thoughts and she looked up into his face.

“You... I was thinking about you... I love you Sigmund Noble... I want to stay with you forever... even if it feels like I'm shutting you out sometimes, I don't mean to... it's just what I've learnt to do when I'm... when I need to protect myself...”

“But you don't need to protect yourself, not from me.”

“Yeah... I'm still learning... be patient with me, yeah?”

“You don't even have to ask.” He bent his head down and kissed her right there in the street. It shocked her, she had never kissed anybody in public before. It was thrilling. Then the inevitable guilt clouded over her. She shouldn't be perusing happiness now, surely? The Doctor saw this and reacted,“Rose, life is for the living... it's an awful thing that's happened, but it mustn't define you. Of course you must grieve, but don't stop, don't ever stop.”

“I think I want to go on, so long as I have you there to share it all with...”

“I think that's a ransom I can live with...”

“Get a room!” A passing stranger shouted as they passed, showing off to their friends. The group of Torchwood agents laughed heartily before disappearing into the building. The Doctor and Rose laughed along with them.

“I think that sounds like a very good idea...” Rose said softly, causing the breath to leave his body in a great woosh. 

“Rose Tyler... I think I would have to wholeheartedly agree with you.” he answered after a long pause, his voice only pitching slightly.

“But we have an appointment at the funeral parlour in half an hour...” she said with a shrug.

“We really should eat before...”

“Oh there he is, my feeder... let's get something from a stall and walk there, it's not far.”

“Speaking of which, your Mum's flat?”

“I think we can leave that for another time... I think I've got plenty to think about before we start really digging deeply into their separate lives. Besides, the way I'm feeling, I wouldn't want us to use her place as the room that lot so happily told us to get!” The Doctor's eyes widened at this and Rose winked at him before taking his hand and beginning to walk towards the various stall's that frequented their delicious wares around the Wharf at lunchtime.

“How did you come by her keys, Rose?” he asked as an afterthought.

“They were in her jacket... this jacket... she left it in her car... one of the agents bought it to me in the hospital. I didn't have a smart jacket for today. Besides, it sort of gives me confidence. Is that bad?”

“No... I think there's something rather touching in amongst all that? Why on Earth would an agent bring you her jacket in the hospital?”

“It was a Torchwood vehicle, they were taking it back...” Rose shrugged.

“How very sensitive of them!”

“Don't sweat the small stuff, Doctor... oo look, chips... a chip van at Canary Wharf, whatever next?” 

As Rose tucked into a cone of salty, vinegary chips the Doctor looked at her with pride. She was coming on in leaps and bounds.


	23. Chapter 23

The chips were very vinegary. So much so, that he could smell it in the steam that came from them. He pinched one of them, his face twisting at the bitterness of it and Rose laughing, beginning to relax again.

So they didn't hear the raucous begin, so wrapped up in each other were they, and it wasn't until one of the men actually came to Rose that they realised something was up.

“All agent's are required to attend... it's Code Magenta!” The young man was shouting at Rose. It was one of the Torchwood agents that had shouted at them when they were kissing. He wasn't joking now.

“But I'm not...” Rose began, but the Doctor grabbed her hand and before she knew what was happening they were back in the Tower joining a group of black clad Torchwood agents.

“It's the jacket...” The Doctor hissed at Rose as he flashed a little black wallet at the leader of the group. “It's your mother's uniform jacket, well, one of them, they thought you were an agent.”

“It's in the Atrium... came out of a box down there, took out Agent Jenkins and Agent Swan... we've managed to evacuate the area, and are continuing to clear the building...” It took a while for Rose to realise that they were addressing the Doctor and her suspicions of him renewed themselves, but not enough for her to realise the gravity of the situation they found themselves in.

“It's just one? Any visuals at all... size?” The Doctor kept hold of Rose's hand but he had also slipped easily into taking control. It was a different side to him and even though she was in a conflict within herself, she couldn't help but be impressed at how easily he took charge of the situation.

The guns worried her, but she was more worried that the Doctor refused one. 

“I'm going in... we need to see what we're dealing with... it may be dangerous purely because it's frightened and backed into a corner!” He was addressing the man who had been in command and was protesting at the Doctor's plan. The Doctor turned to Rose. “You have to stay here.”

“No! I'm coming with you... I already lost Mum and Dad this week. Think I'm gonna lose you too?” She had a point and he surmised that she was safer with him than attempting to follow him afterwards.

The corridor from the lift that opened on to the Atrium floor was oddly quiet, there was a knocked over bin half way down and a door still swinging on its hinges.

The Doctor signalled the agent with the gun who had accompanied them down, to wait and, still tightly holding Rose's hand, they quietly walked through the door.

It was a large room, used to store a multitude of unusual items that had been salvaged from across the planets and space. There were also some work stations set up for the various recruited scientists to work at.

A crumpled heap of material groaned from behind one of these desks and they made their way to him.

His name tag read 'Professor A. Kibble' and he was in a pretty poor way, lacerations to his back and face that indicated five inch long talons. The wounds were deep.

“Professor Kibble? Can you hear me?” asked the Doctor quietly. The man opened his eyes and nodded slightly. “Where is it? Where did it come from?” he hissed. The professor shook his head and looked up, then his eyes changed. They rounded with terror. The Doctor acted fast, pulling Rose and the injured man to the side as the huge creature landed exactly where they would have been. The Doctor stood to face it, making sure Rose and Professor Kibble were right behind him.

“We mean you no harm!” he said firmly and the creature stilled.

“You speak Clethon?” It grunted. It was a large grey reptilian type, with a frog-like snout and boggle eyes. It's back was domed and it had long skinny limbs.

“I'm speaking Clethon?” answered the Doctor and the creature nodded. “You're a long way from Cleth, how did you come by being here?”

“My ship... it fell through a gap in the sky...”

“Your ship? Clethon's don't have ships! You mean you stole a ship?”

“It was abandoned... I didn't even know it was a ship... it took me with it and fell through a rift... I couldn't get out and then the entrance opened and I was here and everyone was screaming. They had guns... I've never seen one, but I've heard of them...”

“Where is this ship that stole you away through a rift?” asked the Doctor and Rose was transfixed by the communication between them both.

“Why should I show you? You just want to steal it away from me and then I'll never get home!” Suddenly the creature looked crestfallen and if it wasn't so frightening, Rose might have laughed.

“I can help... see I am unarmed, I speak your language... I want to help you.”

The Clethon silenced, contemplating the possibility that this man actually might be able to help.

“Show me...” The Doctor asked again, softly and the creature turned away, leading the Doctor to the box in the corner. “Rose, do you understand him?” The Doctor asked in an aside.

“Yes, why... shouldn't I?” But before she could get an answer the Doctor had approached the box and was touching it.

“I... I don't understand... how can it be?” The Doctor was clearly rattled. And then Rose felt it. A vibration humming through her, oddly familiar but she couldn't think where from. The Doctor looked at her, sensing that she could feel it. She stepped forward, forgetting the scary Clethon.

“What is it?” she asked breathlessly, her eyes now rounded.

“Remember my Coral?” The penny dropped, this is where Rose had had this feeling before.

“Is it a ship like the one you're growing? An alien thinking one?”

“No... not completely. Just it could be part of one... I don't understand how it even got here...”

“Can you fix it... get me home?” The Clethon suddenly didn't seem so big and scary, in fact, it looked positively deflated.

“I may be able to help you but it's going to take time.” The Doctor said softly, still stroking the box in a way that made Rose feel almost jealous.

“What is to become of me? I cannot stay here?” The Clethon looked at his handy work. Professor Kibble spoke up, obviously in some discomfort.

“There are living quarters below, comfortable and spacey, we have a couple of... residents there already... you only attacked in fear... no one was killed...”

“Killed? No! My temper is rather short and if I'm backed into a corner I might lash out, but murder? Oh no... that is an unforgivable sin!” This time Rose did let out an actual snort, quickly contained by a sharp but humoured look from the Doctor.

There was quite a lot of noise in the corridor as the troops gathered. Obviously someone had decided they had been in there long enough.

“What's your name, Clethon?” asked the Doctor quickly as he made his way to the door.

“Nigel... they won't believe you... they have guns...” The Clethon said mournfully.

The Doctor opened the door and spoke loudly.

“My friend Nigel seeks our protection he is a lost traveller and he thought you were attacking him.” There was a stunned silence in the corridor and then, very gradually, a couple of the men entered the room to see for themselves. The Doctor made sure they left their weapons in the corridor.

It wasn't long before the whole group were in the Atrium and, with professor Kibble on the way up to the medical floor to join the other two victims of Nigel's fear, they were getting to know this strange new alien.

“How do you all know Clethon so well?” asked Nigel as someone handed him a sweet cup of good English tea.

“That would be the box you say was your ship... it has a translator in it. We're speaking Clethon to you, but, in the same vain, you're speaking English to us. But, here's the thing, Nigel, that box there? It's not possible that you travelled through space in that, it's incomplete. Where is the rest of it?”

“I... don't know... it was bigger, but as it fell through the crack it began to break up... I hid in a cupboard and when it was opened I was here with a gun pointing at me. A Gun!” The Doctor nodded, a muscle twitching in his cheek.

Once the calming down and getting to know one another was done, the making plans for Nigel began.

He agreed to stay in the depths of Canary Wharf whilst he waited for the Doctor to work out how to try and get him home. The Doctor, with some reluctance, instructed them to take the box that he had arrived in down with him so that they would all continue to understand him.

As they left the building hand in hand he was very quiet and Rose wasn't sure how to react, so she walked quietly by him, waiting.

“We missed the appointment at the funeral parlour...” he said softly, but loud enough to make her jump.

“I'm sure they won't mind if we turn up late... I can ring ahead... are you okay?”

“I'm fine...” he answered quickly.

“Is that what your old life was always like?” He turned to her, her eyes were wide and excited, her pulse still quickened.

“Yes... no... sometimes. It didn't always turn out quite as happily.”

“No wonder you want to grow a new ship!”

“You liked it?”

“Well... like, it's not quite the word I would have used... it was very exciting... terrifying... it's giddying!”

“Giddying?” He almost scoffed, he was making fun of her but she didn't mind.

“It's how I felt,” she shrugged.

They hailed a taxi and made their way to the funeral parlour.

He guided her gently through the decisions she had to make for the two people who she should have known the best in the world, but hardly did. The good thing was that she was no longer reserved, or removed. She was sympathetic and conducted herself beautifully as she chose the most eco-friendly coffins and the most beautiful crematorium they could find her. 

The Doctor turned to her and promised that they would find the very best place in the Universe to scatter their ashes. One day. 

And so, it was a couple who travelled back to the flat in Wapping in a very much better place than when they had travelled away from it earlier on that day.

“Tell me about the black wallet... I looked at it and couldn't see anything on there.... they looked at it and suddenly you were in charge!” she asked as soon as they were home. There were obviously a few questions she had about the day and this was just the tip of the ice berg.

“Psychic paper... it's a little bit of Time Lord witchcraft... but it works... you just think what you want to be written on there and that's what they see...”

“Try me!” she said eyes shining. The Doctor glanced at her a little shocked and then smiled as if he had had a good idea.

“Sit down then...” he got the little black wallet from his jacket pocket and sat down beside her.

She waited eagerly while he thought about what he was going to put on the blank page. Then he smiled and showed it to her.

“Kissing Inspector 1st Class.” It read and the Doctor grinned at her quite brazenly.

“And what does a kissing inspector have to do exactly?” asked Rose with a shy grin.

“Well... I would think that he has to make sure that the person he's... um... inspecting is frequently and thoroughly kissed.”

“If that's what you have to do, who am I to stop you doing your job?”

He leaned forward and kissed her and she eagerly joined in, the whole day stirring her and the need to be close to him tantamount. Pretty soon they were a breathing, writhing mass on the sofa very much as they had been the night before just before she had taken the phone call.

There was a bit of heavy petting, touching of naked skin, but the Doctor was still hesitant and eventually Rose pulled back and gazed into his face with a ragged sigh.

“You're still holding back?”

“I'm worried, Rose... I want everything perfect and with all that’s happened this week, it's far from that.”

“It's perfect between us.” she answered softly.

“It is...”

“But?”

“I know you think you're ready, but I'm not so convinced. You really do have to start to deal with it all before. Bottling your feelings up, hiding them away, that's not healthy. When I know you're opening up to me, then I'll be convinced. If I were to... well it could be perceived as taking advantage and I don't want that.”

“Okay... okay... I'll start unbottling myself... happy?”

“Saying it doesn't make it so.”

“No... I know...” They stared at each other for a little longer and then he made a move to get up.

“I'm going to make us some supper, you have a bath and we'll continue this after, okay?”

Rose secretly hoped he meant the kissing but she knew he really meant to start analysing her feelings and she was so used to hiding them away that she was quite daunted by the prospect of it. However, she wanted the Doctor far more and if it meant complying to his wishes then that is what she would do.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rather long and rather rude at the end!

After a simple dish of pasta the Doctor sat on the sofa with Rose on the floor between his legs while he dried her hair with a setting on his Sonic. And when he had finished he pulled her up onto the sofa to give the marks on her stomach another go. As he worked on his knees beside the sofa, carefully following the lines, they talked.

“How are you feeling?” he said softly as her body reacted to the gentle caresses of Screwdriver and fingers.

“Horny?” she offered cheekily and he faltered at his task.

“Rose...”

“Okay... okay, I'm confused... I feel like I shouldn't be here... you told me you came from a parallel universe, but since I met you, it's like I'm in a different parallel and there's another poor Rose still living my old life with Jimmy Stone.”

“Well, that's kind of how dimensions work, each one is created from the outcome of a decision... you decided to come with me and a new parallel was created.” 

“I feel responsible for Mum and Dad dying... Jimmy kept me with him by threatening to kill them and when I left him, he did.”

“I don't think he killed them because you left though, Rose. He killed them because he wanted to hurt you and I don't think he believed he would end up dead because of it. It's an awful set of events. But I do know, deep down below all the hurt and resentment, that both your parents wanted you away from him.”

“Why am I not sadder about it? Am I a cold cow?”

“I think that you've been through a hell of a lot, that you've learned to bury some of your emotions in order to survive. But, Rose, the way you've reacted to me just goes to show the depth of your feelings...”

“I love you, I've never loved like this before... I think that's why I want to get on with us so much. It's like my life has been on hold, like I was waiting for you.”

“Well... you don't need to wait any more...”

“But you're making me wait.” She pouted and he hovered over her, still kneeling on the floor beside the sofa.

“I want it to be perfect, Rose... not just a desperate fumble... everything has to be just right. I believe that no one has ever made love to you... not properly. In order to get to that point I wanted you to open up your emotions properly to me.” Rose had melted at his words, he could feel her pulse quicken against his hand, see her pupils dilate and two hardened nipples were very evident beneath her pyjama top as her chest rose and fell in quick, stuttering breaths.

“I don't think that I'm ever going to wail and weep for my parents. I think I did that a long time ago. Yeah, for a while I had hope and they both made their peace with me in their own way before they died. But now I see it as an end. It's done, yes, there's the funeral and I suppose I'll have to go through all their stuff. I'm not saying that won't be painful, but it's an end. You're my beginning...”

He bent down and kissed her gently at first and then more ardently, their tongues chasing around each other. Then he pulled back and observed her thoughtfully.

“What?” she asked after what felt like too long.

“There was something I was thinking of asking you last night, but well...”

“Yeah? What was it?” He didn't respond and she sat up looking a little worried. “Doctor?”

“I want to show you the level of my commitment, Rose... I'm just not sure how you might react.” She was sitting in front of him, her hair tousled and lips swollen, but she knew something special was about to happen as she looked at him on bended knee in front of her.

“Well, try me...” she said quietly.

He pulled the box he had searched for the previous night from his pocket and gulped.

“This is my grandmother's bonding ring... I wanted to give it to you and to ask you...” he paused nervously and it was only really then that the penny dropped. “Will you marry me, Rose Tyler? I don't mean now, just one day, it would make me very happy just to have that hope...”

She didn't say anything for a long time, long enough to worry the Doctor all the more. A single tear trickled down her cheek.

“You don't have to marry me...” she said, her voice squeaking.

“I want to marry you... and it's really not about possession... it's a promise of forever because I want us to be forever. Why are you crying?”

“I'm not crying...” But she was, the tears were flowing now and he put his free hand up to wipe one eye. “It's tears of happiness... I shouldn't be this happy...”

“You deserve to be happy, Rose... is... is that a yes?”

She omitted a slight noise, nodding with her head hung low as if this was something she had never even contemplated. This was coupled with a strangled sob, but it was enough for the Doctor to slip the ring on her finger and pull her onto his lap.

She sobbed into his neck while he gently rocked her, finally able to comfort her for all the pain she had endured.

Gradually her sobs subsided and apart from the odd hiccup, she was still.

“I'm sorry...” she said eventually.

“What are you sorry for? That was going to happen at some point.”

“Yeah... didn't exactly make it the most romantic of proposals though...”

“You think I care about that?” She pulled her head up and looked at him. He took her face into his hands and pulled her mouth to his. She responded eagerly, moving herself around so she was straddling him. He was quite overcome by how suddenly enthusiastic she was. She was wriggling on him, almost sliding herself along his groin and sweet little sounds were gurgling in her throat.

He grabbed her hips and pulled her back, staring into her face and shaking his head.

“If you think I'm waiting till we're married you have another think coming, Doctor!” she squeaked in protest.

“Rose... I'm not sure you're in full control of your feelings yet and...”

“You don't want to take advantage...” she mimicked him, “I want you to take advantage for God's sake! Please?”

“If I was the old me, I'd be able to whisk you off to some fantastic planet... set the scene... make the moment of our union a memory to treasure...“

“I don't want to make love to the old you... and I think that wherever our first time is, it'll be the very best memory. You making us wait is bordering on cruel, Doctor, and I've had enough cruel to last me forever.”

They stared at each other in a kind of long lasting sexually charged stale mate, but it was Rose who eventually backed down. 

“Fine... play your silly games... I'm beginning to feel like you don't want me at all!” she said getting up. “I'm going to bed.” She left the room leaving him aching for the contact she had just removed from him. Just when he was about to give in too.

*********

They lay side by side in the dark listening to each other breathing. Rose turned on her side and observed the dark mound beside her.

“Doctor, are you sleeping?” she whispered.

“Yes... I'm sleeping, Rose...” he sighed and turned to face her voice. “Something you needed to talk about?”

“Can't sleep...” she returned in a small voice.

“It's been a rough couple of days, I can perfectly understand why...”

“It's not only that though...” Her voice was even lower and he had to pull himself in a little closer to hear.

“Oh?”

“It's all the kissing an' that... I'm a little... wound up...” There was a silence in the darkness and Rose's boldness began to quickly evaporate.

“Me too...” came the reply, softly and Rose's pulse quickened at the low timbre of his voice.

“I mean... why do you want us to wait again?”

“To give you time to get your head straight... to grieve... to get to know me... all of them very good reasons not to rush into things...”

“It's not easy though, is it?” Rose whispered after a long pause. The Doctor chuckled but didn't answer. Rose groaned loudly and rolled on to her back. “How do you deal with it?” she asked a bit louder, her frustration bubbling.

“Do what?” The Doctor was clearly shocked by this question.

“When you get... you know... excited... how do you stop it?”

“Well... a cold shower usually helps...” His answer was guarded, he wasn't exactly sure he could handle the path this was leading down. There was another long silence as she digested this. Was she waiting for more?

Suddenly with a loud growl, she got out of bed and stomped into the bathroom. The shower went on and he listened as she undressed and got in. He was shocked and surprised and rather turned on. But there was nothing he could do. He sniggered as he heard her howl, knowing she must have got under the freezing downpour.

It was seconds later that she ran back, damp and bundled in a towel. She burrowed into the bed, shivering, teeth chattering.

“Don't ever suggest that again!” she muttered through her shivering and the Doctor still wasn't sure how he should react to this.

In the end, he could no longer bear the pitiful teeth-chattering trembling and he pulled the cold, damp bundle into his arms and wrapped a quilt around them both. She stilled instantly, his warmth and closeness immediately warming her.

He could feel cold breath upon his face, but he couldn't see her face and he so wanted to right at this moment because he wasn't sure how to gauge it.

Their mouths connected naturally and the Doctor knew that any control he had been grasping on to was fading fast. It was all up to Rose and she was eagerly exploring his mouth, pressing into him and pulling at his t-shirt.

He gasped as freezing fingers made contact with his lower torso and he grabbed at her hands.

“Rose?” he said breathlessly, and she gasped beside him, surprised at his stopping.

“Doctor, do I really have to beg? I need you... I want you... please?” 

He sat up and turned on the bedside light. She blinked furiously, her eyes aching from the sudden shock.

“Rose... I want you too... but you know how worried I am that I might be accused of taking advantage of you... not now, but one day... you agreed we should wait..”

“We've waited... don't think I can wait any longer... do you feel the way I do?”

“You don't even need to ask... I'm trying to be the perfect gentleman and you're making it very... difficult...”

“Not hard this time?” she said with a smirk.

“Rose!”

“Doctor... I know you... I love you... I've had such a shit life so far... I want to start making some good memories... I want to make them with you... I'm of sound mind, what more do you want? Because it's beginning to feel very one sided from here...”

“That's ridiculous, you know exactly how I feel... I'm just trying to do the right thing...”

“Well stop... do what your heart tells you... what you want... what we want...”

There was a long pause as he regarded her thoughtfully, the realisation that she was taking control dawning on him. Then another worry clouded his head.

“But, I have no... we need to be safe...”

“Safe?”

“Contraception... I mean I could go out, find an all night chemist...” She was shaking her head.

“Not necessary... I'm fixed up...” A blank look flickered across her face... uncomfortable, almost angry.

“Rose?”

“Jimmy made me have the implant every three years... if I didn't have it he got angry... he took me to the clinic and waited outside. Wasn't prepared to share me, he said... thank God, imagine if...” Rose grimaced, shaking her head.

“He let you have the dog though?”

“Mickey was an apology for the tattoo business... he was pretty vile to him most of the time, just another excuse to bully something smaller than him.”

There was another long pause as the Doctor digested this and just when he thought the moment had passed.

“I'm up to date on that... had one six months ago, so I'm good for another two and half years... sorry, not exactly romantic, but that's the basics out of the way. If you're worried about catching anything, I'm pretty certain Jimmy never went with anyone else, he was too obsessed with me for that...” She looked a little bitter as she said this.

“Rose... it's fine, you don't have to do this...”

“I keep saying, I've not had much practise, am I making a complete idiot of myself?”

“No... but you can stop now... it's fine... I know you're fit, I took the liberty of scanning you with my Sonic when I was working on your scar... I wanted to make sure no lasting physical damage had been done, anything else would have naturally shown up...”

“Oh... okay... so...”

“So...”

“Can we?”

“Rose... I'm ready when you are, but I want you to be very sure...” It was a bold statement coming from him, but it didn't feel or sound it. His voice pitched in the middle of his words and ended with a traverse of his Adam's Apple, which made him gulp a little. Rose nodded equally as nervously.

They stared at each other wide eyed and silent. Nobody moved, nobody spoke.

Then someone started to laugh, it didn't matter who because the other joined them within a beat and once they had started they couldn't stop, they laughed until their bellies ached and they were out of breath, lying there side by side.

Finally, they slowly began to stop, gradually catching their breaths until all was quiet.

“It's a bit awkward, isn't it?” she said softly.

“Awkward?”

“It doesn't flow properly when you make a decision, when you agree... it doesn’t feel natural...”

“Yeah... it certainly kills the mood...”

“So how do we revive it... the mood, I mean?” She blushed a little, realising what her words could mean.

“I think we need to stop talking about it, Rose and just let things happen... there's no rush... let things come naturally...”

Rose nodded and then with an act of pure bravery that she didn't even know she had, she sat up and took off her damp towel, throwing it into the room and pulling their shared blanket over her naked body. She turned to him with a cheeky expectant grin.

“You're a bit of a minx underneath it all, aren't you?” he said softly, turning to her, facing her but not touching her.

“I'm sure I don't know what you mean... my towel was wet...”

“Rose Tyler...” He bent his head forward and kissed her gently, slowly and with some intent. She responded in kind, the kissing between them was already perfected.

He scooted nearer to her, unable to resist the eager, naked body beside him. She gasped as he rested a hand gently on her hip, his fingers deftly stroking tiny circles, sending tingling sensations rocking through her entire body.

Suddenly their bodies were pressed into each other, the hand that had been on her hip, now stroking her lower back.

“Doctor, you have too many clothes on...” she gasped pulling back, wanting to feel skin on skin. He sat up and yanked his t-shirt off and sent it in the same direction as her damp towel. Then he laid back down and, continuing the kiss, he pulled her to him, their chests melting into one another. Goosebumps coated her body, her nipples hardening against him and his hand found it's way onto her left breast, thumb stroking the erect nub. 

Rose gasped, her body was on fire, jolts of electricity running down to the apex of her thighs. She had never felt this way before, in fact she had been puzzled by what she had read and heard. This was far, far more than she had ever read or heard.

The Doctor broke the kiss to take a nipple into his mouth and Rose cried out. He was lying on his side so only had one free hand, which was now exploring her body, stroking down her stomach, tracing the scars of her makeshift tattoo, then around to her rounded bottom.

He let the nipple in his mouth go with a resounding pop and kissed her again as he pulled her buttocks into him, pressing himself against her.

Her hand went to the waist band of his pyjama bottoms and her fingers drifted along the elastic. 

He pulled back a bit gasping and leaving enough space for his stroking fingers to explore the place where she wanted them most. Rose groaned loudly as he made contact with her most sensitive area, stroking and dipping his fingers in and around her.

“Doctor...you're still wearing too much!” Her voice keened and her hips moved with his hand.

The Doctor wanted to do much more to Rose than her body was allowing, but he decided that the time for exploration might have to wait until afterwards. Rose was in a frenzy of need and, truth be told he knew he couldn't last out too long.

“Are you sure?” he whispered in her ear, kissing her lobe at the same time.

“Yes... for God's sake, make love to me... please!” The Doctor pulled his pyjama bottoms off in one quick fluid movement and moved in between her legs positioning himself right there exactly where she needed him.

He remained up on his elbows because he wanted to see Rose's face as he entered her.

Rose's knees widened and her hips arched up towards him in readiness and desperation.

Slowly, slowly he entered her, relishing in her tight wet walls, loving the snug fit and smiling down at her as, finally, their bodies joined. She gasped and sighed as the feelings began to overwhelm her.

“Okay?” he asked her gently as their pelvises met and despite the tears leaking down her temples, she nodded happily. He bent his head down and kissed her sweetly. 

And as he kissed her he began to move, pacing himself so that he could stay up watching her.

Rose had never experienced feelings like this and it was as if a whole new part of herself was showing itself for the first time. There was nothing she could do to hide her feelings from him, she was lost in a a whole new spectrum of them and this man above her was totally responsible. He was now the epicentre of her world however much she wanted to fight for her own independence.

The Doctor observed this beautiful woman coming undone beneath him and his heart soared. He was experiencing something new, had been ever since he met her, truth be told. There was no way he could make a comparison to anything like this and any other version of him had been through before because this just couldn't compare. The disgusting human part of him that he had tried so desperately to quash was taking over and it felt fantastic. More fantastic then anything he could remember.

Rose couldn't hold out, her body was exploding underneath him, orgasm after orgasm attacking her in a multiple blend of passion. The noises that she made sounding like a little feral animal.

He pushed into her rocking her body with each solid thrust, and her body spiralled with each one, her legs wrapping around him, her pelvis tipping up to meet his and the sounds of pure joyous satisfaction rising up to mix with his.

He could feel his own orgasm rising, a sheen of sweat coating his body as he tried to resist it. But Rose was having none of that. She had given herself over to him completely and she wanted him to do the same.

She pulled him into her, rising her hips up, opening herself wider to him and he whimpered at the power she had over him as he thrust deeper, faster, harder.

Their gasping filled the air as she writhed underneath him, her body ready to meet him as her harmony of tiny orgasms began a steady climax to meet his own.

They came together, teetering on the brink for a moment and then crying out as they exploded together in a messy crescendo, him thrusting as far into his beautiful girl as he possibly could.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long, been a hard couple of months! Happy New year! X

Wrapped in the quilt together, a mass of limbs in which you couldn't see where one of them begun or the other ended. 

The light of day was trickling around the blind and Mickey was whining at the door. But still they slept. 

In truth, there had been little sleep all night as they had spent much of it exploring and learning one another's bodies and finally as the sun began to creep up, they both fell into a simultaneous, exhausted and very spent sleep.

It was him that woke first this time. Usually he opened his eyes to find her staring at him, but for a pleasant change, she was sleeping and he got the distinct feeling that this was probably the soundest sleep she had had since she was a child.

He watched her and visions of what they had been doing to one another danced across his memory disturbing parts of him that he didn't think it were possible to disturb just yet.

She mumbled and stretched, making contact with said parts and grinning. Her eyes opened and met his.

“Hello...” she whispered but he just made a happy little noise in his throat and moved in. “No... morning breath... don't!” she squeaked turning her mouth away from him.

“Don't start getting self conscious with me now, Rose Tyler...” he mumbled and pulled her body over onto her back landing atop of her, pulling her arms above her head and securing them by the wrists with one hand. She squealed and laughed.

“You're going to get fed up of me and this...” he said throatily as he pushed himself against her wriggling legs.

“Never gonna happen!” she husked as he managed to part her legs with his hips and position himself. “But surely, we should wash after... everything?”

“Oh, it's only us, Rose and afterwards I'll run us a nice bubble bath... time we found out if that tub is big enough for the both of us.” Of course that completely won her over and pretty soon they were in a repeat of some of the previous nights antics.

“Will it always be like that?” Rose said dreamily afterwards, stroking his head where it had collapsed onto her sweaty chest. He mumbled an affirmative into her, the vibrations already exciting her again.

A bark from Mickey alerted him to the fact that if he didn't take him out onto the balcony he might find something nasty in the living room. With a reluctant sigh he tried to pull out of Rose, but she grinned and clamped her legs around him, locking her ankles together and effectively trapping him.

“Rose...”

“Yes, Doctor?”

“Are we just going to stay here forever?”

“Would that be so bad?”

“Honestly, Rose, I can't think of a better place to be...”

“But?” she pouted beautifully and it wasn't wasted on him.

“Because, you're dog is crossing it's legs outside the door, because after such an energetic night I'm starving so you must be too and because I'm very keen to see if my mahoosive bath will fit us both comfortably enough to play in...”

“Well.. when you put it like that...” she smiled and let her legs unfold from around him. He didn't move. “Doctor?”

“But it isn't an easy task, leaving this place...” She laughed and he bent down and captured her lips in his.

 

**********

 

Fast forward to the bathroom, where their dressing gowns were getting drenched on the floor from the gallons of water that had spilled from the bath. There was water everywhere and overflown vanilla bubbles. 

Rose and the Doctor were lying in each other's arms, wet, clean and replete. Both were smiling, silly and happy, like they'd just achieved something rather good.

“Can I just say, this right here? Heaven... no more or less... can't believe what I've been missing.”

“Same... I'm so sorry that your adult life started out so badly, and I really do intend to spend every moment making up for it, or at least trying...”

“You don't need to try... I don't want that shadow hanging over us a moment longer.”

“Still... there's a few things to sort out yet.”

“I know, next Thursday we'll say goodbye to them and then... well, I feel a little cheeky for asking...”

“Rose?”

“Will you take me away somewhere? On a plane... somewhere hot?”

“Of course... but don't we have to get you a passport first?”

“I have one... that was something I did last year... thought I might run one day and wanted to be prepared... saved up the odd bit here and there and sent off for it in secret... Jimmy never found out...”

“Clever girl... see, even without me, I think you would have pulled yourself out of it one day...”

“Well we'll never know that now... where shall we go?”

“We can pick up some brochures today... if I had a TARDIS it would be a completely different matter... we could just take off when we pleased...”

“You really miss it?”

“Her... well, yeah, I feel like I really have a life here now I have you... but when you've travelled in a TARDIS, a plane suddenly seems so... so... mediocre...”

“I've never even been on a plane.”

“Sorry... we will... it'll be wonderful.”

“You've been growing a TARDIS, though?”

“I have.”

“Does that take long?”

“It can do... I mean, a TARDIS never really stops growing, it's everything else that might be tricky... there are material parts that would be difficult to build, not impossible, but without the scientific back ups... anyway my time at the moment is better spent elsewhere.”

“But Nigel came here in one?”

“Well only part of one, it broke up as it entered the rift...”

“What's a rift?”

“A sort of crack in the Universe.”

“Maybe you should talk to him a bit more? Look at the box... see if there's anything at Torchwood you could use?”

“You want me to build one?”

“I want us to be happy and from the way you speak, it sounds like that's where we'd be happiest. Do dogs travel well in space?”

“I had a dog once... but that's another story.”

“I still have much to find out about you, don't I?”

“I'm an open book, me, such a long one though, I'd hardly know where to begin.”

They were quiet for a while, each contemplating what the other had said.

“I suppose I could talk to Nigel and take a look around there...”

“Yeah... and would you come to Mum and Dad's places with me too? I need to put some order in all that's been left to me?”

“Oh, sorry, I just assumed I would be!”

“I like that you assume things.... it's very coupley.”

“Coupley?”

“Yeah, that's what we are, aren't we?”

“Oh, I just assumed that too?”

 

*********

 

And so a couple of hours later, they found themselves entering Jackie's rather sumptuous uptown apartment.

Rose said very little as she surveyed the very different space to the one she had grown up in. It was all so sterile and clean, so unemotional.

“Your mother seemed to like it minimal, then?” Rose just shrugged because what else could she say? Obviously, she had barely known the woman. The flat she had grown up in hadn't been at all like this. She had fond memories of a fantastic chaos. A mish-mash of old and new with a never-ending supply of cardboard boxes in the hallway filled with her father's latest ventures. 

This cold, empty space was a far cry from those precious memories and it made Rose feel even more removed from the woman who had died in her arms just a few days ago.

They began to go through her mother's things. First finding something for her to wear in her coffin and looking for any personal items.

“Rose?” The Doctor was at the far end of the flat and had opened a door which she had assumed was a cupboard. She wandered up to his side and looked into the little room.

It was a total bomb site of hoarded stuff. There was everything there that Rose had expected and so much more.

Boxes spilling out pictures and clothes and stuffed toys. Shelves holding precious mementos, pictures both she and Tony had drawn or painted. The album of her parents wedding day. 

All Rose could remember from her childhood was kept in that little room.

They spent most of that day going through as much as they could. Sat on the floor, close together, pulling out memory after memory and Rose talking animatedly about each one. There were no tears, but at times it was very emotional and the Doctor really felt like she was beginning to unblock.

Late in the afternoon, she turned to him shyly.

“It's getting late...” They had ordered in pizza's and the debris of those were now intermingled with her mother's chaos and the chaos they had made of it whilst rummaging.

“You had enough?” he asked her softly, stroking her shoulder.

“I think for now, yeah.”

“What do you want to do with all this?”

“I could just turn my back on the whole flat but for this one room. If I could take it out of here with all it's contents, I wouldn't take anything else. It would just be a nice memory for me to visit... to remember, you know?”

“Yeah... I really do.” He looked at her thoughtfully, a little idea buzzing in his head.

“What?” she smiled, catching something in his face.

“If you just give me some time, to work on it, I think I might be able to accommodate that wish. At least one day...”

“Does this all tie in with your... um... your TARDIS?”

“Our TARDIS and yes... it's a possibility. Don't do anything about this place for a while. No need just yet, is there?”

“I suppose not... but I feel like I got some answers, you know?”

“I could see that, Rose. It's helped you remember the woman your mother once was.”

“Yeah...” 

“Rose?”

“Tony's ashes aren't here, though...”

“Maybe she's put them somewhere else?”

They got up and wandered back around the near empty rooms looking in neatly arranged drawers and cupboards.

It was in Jackie's bedroom that Rose stopped by the bedside and picked up a rather odd looking box.

“I made this in year six, didn't even know she'd kept it.”

“It's...um...very um...”

“I was eleven, Doctor! I was so proud of myself... don't look like that... it's a jewellery box! Even played a tune, my teacher gave me a special prize at the end of the year!”

The Doctor, with an affectionate and amused expression, picked up the crude MDF box and opened it. He stopped, disjointed little notes filling the air.

“I think I found what we've been looking for...” he said softly and gently closed the box before Rose could see inside.

“She moved him into that?” she muttered in disbelief.

“You were both very precious to her, Rose, it's a perfect place when you think of it.”

“So much wasted...”

“A death in the family has as much impact as a birth. It's like setting a bomb off in your house. It's never the same when the dust settles. Your Mum found it hard to come to terms with it all and locked all her feelings away. Not healthy and another tragedy that wasn't ever addressed.”

“Yeah and I s'pose Dad didn't help...”

“Just another destructive way of dealing with it and some coercion to-boot... you were all victims in this...” 

“Victims of Jimmy Stone?”

“No, not entirely, I don't believe for one minute what happened to Tony was anything but a tragic accident. Jimmy just fed off the grief it caused. There was never any rescuing him from the path he chose...” The Doctor looked as if he had a nasty taste in his mouth.

Rose nodded dumbly, as close to tears as she had got during their first day together as lovers. The Doctor shrugged, shook himself and with the rustic music box under one arm and Rose under the other, he took them home.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the mahoosive gaps, I am working on this slowly but surely, real life has dramatically got in the way and doesn't allow me as much time and energy as I would like to do this.

Mid morning the next day and they entered a moderately sized thatched seaside cottage hidden in a beautiful landscape of greenery. The sea was visible from the back and the roar of waves on the beach and the smell of salt in the air made a pleasant change from the usual London fumes.

Rose opened the door somewhat nervously, the keys landing on the floor a couple of times before she managed to get them in the lock with her shaking fingers. The Doctor didn't try to intervene, it was almost a right of passage, something that Rose needed to do to lay the ghosts to rest.

They stood on the threshold staring in. A long silence followed. Until.

“You know I really pictured Dad in something much more...um... garish... you know a real statement home, like one of those old country mansions with a great hall and a grand staircase?” The Doctor looked at her not knowing quite what to say. He nodded and cleared his throat.

“I sort of know what you mean...”

“And that ain't a dig at him neither... Mum and Dad didn't have the best of tastes... they would never have been able to think of anything as... fantastic as this...”

The hallway lead straight into a large living room that was sumptuous and comfortable without being over the top. There was a huge and very comfortable looking burgundy corner sofa surrounding an inglenook fireplace which housed a large wood-burner.

All around the walls there were beautifully framed pictures, photographs of the Tyler family that Pete must have spent some time finding and getting someone sympathetic enough to treat them with such a gentle take.

The one that Rose looked at first had been a simple day trip to Southend-On-Sea, but now she saw it from her father's eyes. Tony had begged for an ice cream and even though the sugary sweetness of such a treat always made him a little loopy, Pete had given in and bought him and Rose one. A seagull had swooped in as soon as the two year old had grasped a hold and Pete had snapped a picture of Rose consoling her little brother by handing over her own. It was a misty composition, the rounded teary eyes looking at his big sister in wonder as the prize was awarded to him. Jackie was in the background looking on with some annoyance at her husband but with far more pride at the scene in front of her.

“Beautiful memory...” the Doctor said softly beside her.

“He was a little bugger after that... got completely sugared up but it was worth it... This place is as much a shrine as Mum's!”

“Not a shrine, Rose, people like to surround themselves with happy memories although according to Hamilton Pete never lived here...”

“It's just another alternate... another what could have been...”

“Maybe... but that's not such a bad thing... this is what your Dad wanted for you and your Mum, its what he hoped for one day. I think that's rather beautiful, don't you? He loved your mother and he wanted to reunite you as a family, this was probably their romantic dreaming as a young couple, a thatched cottage by the sea...”

“Bit of a cliché?”

“Yes, but there's nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“I just wish I could talk to them now, you know? Without all the hate and misery.” The Doctor was silent, not really sure what to say, or indeed if her wish was entirely healthy. He put an arm around her and together they looked around the cottage.

It was four bedrooms and Rose's bedroom was the last one they looked in. It was a typical teenage girl's bedroom without the mess a teenager would make.

“I wonder how long this place has been waiting...” she murmured looking a little embarrassed at the posters on the wall.

“It's clean, no cobwebs, no dust... someone comes here regularly to keep it nice.” He sat down on the four poster bed and bounced a little checking out the springs unaware of Rose focussing on him hungrily.

“Bit of a kink going on here, me stepping back in time, into the family bedroom of my dreams to find the man of my dreams bouncing on my never been used bed...” His eyes quickly darted up to hers, clocking the slight dilation to her pupils, shock overcoming him.

“Rose!”

“What? I'm only human, all this emotion and a bed and you... don't be shocked... can't help my body...” She sat down beside him, now bright red and looking at her feet. The Doctor smiled and nudged her with his shoulder.

“I can't help being so irresistible either...” he smirked and she looked up at him in relief and disbelief.

“You ain't half cheeky, you know that?”

“Me? You're the one suggesting... in your childhood bedroom of all places!” She stopped smiling as quickly as she had begun.

“Only it ain't! You been in a room like this before, Doctor? Was this her childhood bedroom, the Rose who broke your heart so badly?” She stood up again and paced the room.

“No... Rose... I've never been in a room like this ever... that Rose had a room on board the TARDIS... and it wasn't like this... besides, we've been through all that, it was the Time Lord me, not the human me... if I ever felt sad about her, you've more than made up for it... I spent a couple of years with her as him... we had many adventures but I can honestly say that I never shared anything as intimate with her as I have with you!”

“Okay, keep your hair on, it was just what you said... had me picturing all sorts...”

“I'm sorry, it was a slip of the tongue, and truthfully, what I can remember of that Rose's bedroom aboard the TARDIS was a complete and utter mess... she was very untidy and we were always in a rush to get on to the next adventure. So, you see there is no comparison.”

“I used to be a slob, but Jimmy soon sorted that out...”

“Wouldn't bother me if you made a mess now and then, part of life, we all have to makes a mess, how else are we going to learn to clear up?”

Rose nodded contemplating his words and moved to the window. It was at the front and looked out at the sea.

“This place is lovely though... seems a great deal bigger from the inside, wasn't expecting four bedrooms.”

“Shall we stay tonight? Get fish and chips and walk down the beach?”

“Really?”

“We could, if you want... it's very peaceful here...”

“Feels like home...?”

“Home is wherever you are...” he sighed and pulled her into his arms. He was still sitting on the bed and she standing in front of him in between his legs.

“But maybe we shouldn't sleep here?” she whispered throatily and he smiled and nodded. 

He stood slowly, taking her hand and pulling her gently away from the bed and towards the door.

They had already investigated the other rooms, there was a master bedroom and a room that had obviously been marked for Tony's things. There was little in here but it had the feeling of waiting for someone to have input.

At the bottom of the corridor past a very well equipped bathroom was the guest room. It had a magnificent heavy king sized wooden bed and a shower room. The Doctor pulled Rose in and shut the door.

They made a mess, jumbled bedclothes and their own clothes strewn across the floor, and afterwards they lay naked on the bed looking at the beams of the ceiling smiling like idiots.

“I love it here, I shouldn't but it has a feel to it that you can't easily find...”

“You want to live here?” He pulled himself up onto his elbows and looked into her face.

“Live here? What? What about London, your job?”

“We can move everything here... I don't need to work now, you have enough money to keep us... I could build a workshop out back and experiment with our TARDIS.... Mickey loves it...” Indeed, they could here the little yaps as the small dog chased seagulls in the garden.

“You're serious?”

“Well... I have enough money to keep us in truth, that was a joke, money has never really been an issue for me, that being said.... imagine raising a family here, Rose?”

“A family? Wait a minute you're running ahead!”

“Not yet, course not yet... but one day... after we've done some travelling and you've done all you need to do... but this could be a wonderful base. The commute to London is easy, half an hour to the centre on the train!”

“Doctor...”

“Have I scared you... only my flat in Wapping just won't contain the TARDIS's next growth cycle and so a move was always going to be on the cards, besides, Mickey can't keep going on the balcony, can he?”

“Yes... ssh... yes we'll move here, but like you said, there's still much to be done... to sort out...”

“You're Dad would be so happy to think you're starting your married life here...”

“Marriage?”

“At some point, we are promised, I don't mean tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is my parents funeral.”

“Yes...”

“Hello? Is someone here?” A voice in the corridor sent them into alarm as they grabbed for the fallen sheet before the door opened.

A woman stood there, open-mouthed. It was the Doctor who spoke before she started screaming.

“Hello, we aren't squatters, this is Rose Tyler, Mr Tyler's daughter!” he squeaked and the woman quickly shut the door leaving them to it.

“Better go and face the music.” Rose said and started searching for her knickers.

The woman was in the kitchen making a large pot of tea when Rose walked in.

“I'm sorry to intrude, I wasn't expecting anyone, but I knew who you were instantly...”

“We're sorry to have given you such a shock... we were tired after our journey...” The woman wasn't much older then Rose and she tried to hide the smile. The Doctor was still hovering in the hallway.

“Sleeping, course you were!” she said amiably and started to pour steaming mugs of amber liquid. The Doctor hearing the comment stepped into the room.

“Who are you?” asked Rose.

“Name's Laura... Laura Tyler. I'm your cousin, your Uncle Paul's daughter, we used to play when we was kids.”

“I remember... how come you're here?”

“I come up and make sure the place is okay, clean if necessary... your dad bought me a place in the village when my dad died... I'm sorry about... he were lovely... really looked after me...”

“Sorry about Uncle Paul.. I wanted to go to the funeral but...”

“Yeah, I know... you don't have to explain...” There was a long silence were the two women searched each other's faces and the Doctor picked up a mug, scooped two very generous teaspoons of sugar into it and made his excuses, something about finding the dog and left them to it.

“He seems nice...” Laura and Rose sat at the same time and picked up a mug of tea.

“Yeah he is... so... are you on your own?”

“Boyfriend lives with me, he's a mechanic, always in overalls, but I'm the only relation you have left if that's what you mean?”

“Well, it's one more than I knew this morning... you coming up to London tomorrow?”

“If you want me to... you gonna sell this place?”

“Sell it? Why would I do that?”

“Thought you might want to go and live at the Kent mansion... kidding, it's a monster of a house, sort you see in films... don't know what possessed Uncle Pete to buy it, well that's a lie, it was that Bonnie and her still living there lording it up...”

“She's still living in one of my father's houses?”

“Yup... flipping gold digging bitch...”

“Well, we'll soon sort that out, won't we?”

The two women grinned at each other over their mugs.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so very sorry that it's been so long. I do have a reason. I have been rather ill and ended up in hospital having an emergency op. This has rather taken it out of me and just sitting in a chair for long periods of time has been a challenge. But I'm back and now this chapter feels like it could be an ending. However, I did have more planned for this couple so I'm not going to end it here, just let's say its end of part one!!! XX

 

 

They sat in the back of the limo side by side and silent. Both were wearing sombre black suits and saying nothing.

Rose's eyes were fixed on the hearse in front of her, a bespoke double wicker coffin fitted neatly in the back. After much soul searching, she had decided on sending them out of this world together. She knew how in love her parents had been and all the mess in the middle, even though she was beginning to realise it wasn't, held her in a dilemma of responsibility.

If she and the Doctor ever ended up in the same boat (perish the thought), she would want to be with him eternally and so she decided that it was proper and fitting for her parents as well.

As they pulled in to the crematorium, Rose gasped at the crowds. The graveyard was packed with people.

There were a few familiar faces that she remembered from her childhood, a few she recognised from the social columns where she had read about her father's growing success and then there was the ever-presence of the dark Torchwood uniforms.

There was silence as she emerged from the car, everyone looking on sadly towards the large wicker coffin that encased the couple, finally reunited in their death.

Her cousin Laura stood nearby and walked forward bringing her young man with her.

“Okay?” she whispered and Rose nodded solemnly. “This is my other half, Daniel, Rose... she's here... making a song and dance about grieving, saying you have no right to...” The Doctor interrupted Laura's hissed whisper, placing a hand on hers.

“Not now, Laura, she can be dealt with at a more appropriate time, we're here to say goodbye to Jackie and Pete...” Laura stopped mid-flow, blushing slightly, her eyes flickering up to the Doctor's, but she said no more and Rose gestured that they fall in beside her.

It was a beautiful ceremony, a fitting farewell. Many of both Pete's and Jackie's friends from both their lives together and apart were there. Hamilton even got up and said a few words. There was also no mistaking the staged weeping from the back of the room. 

She was introduced to Bev from the canteen at Torchwood who gazed into her eyes and pulled her into a huge hug. “There are things we talked about that might interest you, Rose...” she said softly in her ear and there were many questions Rose wanted to ask her but the interruption of a familiar and rather brassy looking blonde put paid to that.

“You had nuffin to do wiv 'im! Soon as 'e's dead you comes along and takes over... even puttin' 'im in the same coffin as that woman... who do you fink you are... tryin' to get your grubby claws on all his coinage, were ya?”

Rose stared at this woman in cold calculation, she felt herself holding back the Doctor as she took in the features of a poorly presented Jackie Tyler lookalike.

“This is a private function, strangers are not welcome here...” she heard herself saying calmly.

“I ain't no stranger... you're tellin' me you don't even know who I am? Name's Bonnie, ring any bells?” Her hands were on her hips.

“I think I've heard of you, weren't you a friend of Jimmy Stone's, the man who pulled this family apart?”

There was a loud gasp from around them and Bonnie's eyes narrowed.

“You cold effing cow! If it wasn't for you he'd still be alive it's all your...” But Rose cut her off with a sharp Tyleresque blow to the cheek. She was right up in Bonnie's face, holding herself back all the same.

“I'm not responsible for their deaths, Bonnie and it strikes me that the only reason you're upset is because you're now going to have to leave the house you've been squatting in. It's going up for sale... today. As we speak the lock's are being changed and anything that was yours in the first place has been dumped outside the main gates. Leave now, unless you want to take this further... you can still go to prison for trespass, you know?”

Bonnie, stared at her clutching her cheek, dawning realisation that this woman was not to be toyed with. She let out gasp and ran for the door, reaching for her phone in the hope that she might stop her impromptu eviction.

Rose's eyes met Hamilton's who gave a slight nod and she smiled bleakly with a returning gesture.

The whole thing took less than an hour and it wasn't long before they were in a taxi on their way back to the flat in Wapping. Rose had decided against a Wake although quite a few of the people at the service were going to drown their sorrows at the local boozer. She imagined them swapping stories about her parents, but didn't feel that she wanted to prolong the goodbyes.

The Doctor had said very little throughout the day, just having him stoically by her side had made all the difference and she had clung to him on quite a few occasions although she had not wept openly. The Doctor wasn't worried. Rose barely knew all these people and the self preservation layers she had built over the years weren't going to come down easily, not so publicly anyway.

“You were brilliant today...” he said softly as he put the keys into the now familiar door.

“Oh? I didn't do much...”

“You did the Tyler name proud, held yourself with dignity and sorted out that Bonnie in the best possible way, had you actually arranged something with Hamilton?”

“No... but he was straight on to it as soon as I said... she'll not get in...”

“Is that even legal, doesn't she have some rights?”

“I don't care, besides, Hamilton's the best, I'm sure he'll find a loophole. It didn't feel great publicly humiliating her though, she's hardly much older than me and surely she's just a victim to Jimmy Stone too?”

By now they were in the living room and the Doctor stopped short and stared at her.

“Rose Tyler, as I live and breath, most women would be spitting bricks but your humanity is astounding... have I told you how very much in love with you I am?”

“You may have mentioned it a couple of times, but I forget... “ She slithered her arms around his neck and looked up at him with lidded eyes, then a guilty look passed across her face.

“What? What's wrong?” He pulled her into him, arms around her waist before she could let go.

“I'm not sure if it's appropriate, not today... maybe we shouldn't?”

“That's entirely up to you, but it's very natural for couples to celebrate that they're alive after a funeral in the most basic of ways, why many a baby has been recorded as conceived on the eve of the death or the funeral of a loved one... makes sense, one out one in so to speak... oh God, not that I meant.. you know not that I would want to... too soon for all that anyway...” He stopped mid stutter at her face. 

“Want a spade?” she teased.

“Sorry... talk my way into anything me...”

“Besides, on that logic, wouldn't we be talking twins?”

“Sorry?”

“Two out, two in?” She began to laugh at his face and he tentatively joined in, she stopped abruptly again, that guilty look crossing her face.

“Rose, it's okay, you're allowed to be happy, they would have wanted that.”

“Would they? I don't know if they truly gave much thought to my happiness.”

“How they both behaved was atrocious, but at the end, they were there for you and in a way if you owe them anything, a long and happy life would be top of the list, surely?”

“You'll say anything for a shag, won't ya?” she teased him again, her tongue tipping the corner of her mouth cheekily.

“I don't shag you, Rose... I make love to you...” He was suddenly very serious.

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Well go on then, what are you waiting for?” And with that, he picked her up and carried her to their bedroom.

It was a very gentle lovemaking, Rose was taken aback with how tender he was with her and how slowly he took it, worshipping her with every fibre in his body. Afterwards she lay beside him staring at the ceiling thinking about the day and how wonderful this man was. How much her life had changed in such a short time.

“It would have been a fantastic way to conceive, when you think about it...” she said aloud, shocking herself but he just grinned happily.

“The only way in my opinion...” he replied, “but I want you all to myself for now, is that okay?”

“Yup... sounds like a plan, just the two of us... I hope Mickey is all right with Laura's neighbour...”

“Life of Riley, he was very happy and quite smitten by the Wolfhound that lives there...”

“She'd have the poor little thing for a snack!”

“But what a way to go!” The Doctor stopped, pondering on how human he had become and then shrugged to himself. It didn't matter, he was human now and it was more than worth it.

“So, what happens now? Mum and Dad are gone, you freed me, where do we go from here?”

“Well... you wanted to travel? You wanted to find somewhere spectacular to rest all their ashes together?”

“What are you planning?” She propped herself up on her side and faced him, her nudity on display. He let his eyes travel her skin, wondering at the confidence she had now, his gaze travelled the remains of the tattoo, now barely visible and then he looked into her eyes.

“Perv...” she husked her pupils already beginning to re-dilate.

“If we move the TARDIS down to Sussex, establish her in the cottage, her growth cycle can really kick in, should be ready for her maiden voyage by the end of Summer.” He sat up suddenly excited in a different way and jumped out of bed. “Calculations... where's my Sonic...” He fiddled about in his jacket and after finding what he was after, left the room stark naked.

Rose sat there for a moment staring at the door, then she puffed at her fringe, pulled herself out of bed and grabbed the nearest piece of material she could lay hands on.

She padded into the spare room in a long white shirt, she hadn't bothered to button it up and he glanced up from the coral over the top of his glasses.

Her hair was all fluffed out and her skin was almost luminous in her post coital glow. She had filled out a bit in the time they had spent together and she looked fantastic, the girl he had found on that roof was a mere shadow to the goddess that stood before him.

“Take a picture, it lasts longer...” she said huskily after a long beat.

“I was just thinking how much my shirt suits you...” he said softly.

“What are you doing?”

“Just checking if my calculations are right...”

“You want to set up a great big experiment in that lovely house?”

“Oh, Rose, it's not just an experiment... besides you'd hardly notice once she was established, couple of weeks of being a bit topsy turvy, but isn't that what they say about moving house?”

“From all that daytime telly I've had to endure, yeah, that's what they say... but what about going somewhere... remember, you promised me somewhere hot and peaceful?”

“Oh yes... of course... I hadn't forgotten. We'll pick up some brochures tomorrow... in the meantime, we can move this little lady down by the seaside and let her do her thing while we're gone...”

“You talk like it's a living creature, Doctor... are all blokes like that? Talk about their transport as if they were alive?”

“Rose, she is alive, she's a sentient being... you know that, you've been able to sense her from day one...”

Rose pulled the shirt around her quickly, eyes darting all around.

“How much can it/she see?” she hissed, her self-consciousness suddenly kicking in.

“See? Oh I doubt she sees much at all, it's mostly sensory...”

“She can feel what we've been up to?” Rose's eyes were completely round and it was all he could do not to laugh out loud.

“It isn't like that... she'll be able to make sure we're healthy and happy, she'll get into our heads and check but she won't feel what we feel, not physically, she can't...”

“Into our heads? Isn't that a little... intrusive?”

“Only if we let her...”

“Now I get a picture of Mickey sitting outside the bedroom door!”

“Rose, it's difficult to explain but as she grows you'll understand, I know that you're getting something from her even now, which to my mind makes you both receptive to one another which is very pleasing. There will be rules when she's grown, both for her and for us,it won't be a difficult adjustment, I promise. But we don't have to do this, we could just set her free into the atmosphere let her drift into space and become whatever she wants...”

“But she means so much to you...”

“You mean more...” 

“Would she be happier set free?”

“No, and if she was found, fell into the wrong hands... she could be abused, used as a weapon... even eaten...”

“Eaten?”

“She has a life source within her that could sustain a whole fleet of...” he stopped, bit his lip and looked at her seriously.

“A whole fleet of?”

“I don't want to worry you...”

“Some kind of alien?”

“Yeah... more than one kind of alien as it goes...”

“Well, we have a responsibility to keep it, don't have to travel in it, right?”

The Doctor looked at her, shocked, the thought of never using her had never even occurred.

“I suppose not,” he answered after a long pause. They stared at each other as if some stalemate had been reached and then Rose snorted.

“Do you really think I'd want to control you like that?”

“What?”

“This is so obviously part of you, I wouldn't want to take it away from you, I couldn't... from what you've told me it's a very important part of our history in a way.”

“She, not it... you were teasing me?”

“No... sort of, like you said, there will have to be rules.”

“There will, like you not winding me up... “ That cheeky tongue poked the side of her mouth again and her eyes glanced up him.

“You're naked...” He looked down at himself and then back at her.

“Oh yes, so I am... got carried away...”

“Well you know what they say, if you can't beat em... join em...” she shrugged his shirt and stood before him now only wearing a very come hither smile.

The Doctor carefully placed down his Sonic and took a step towards her.

“Oh no, not in front of the baby... what did you call her again?”

“TARDIS.” He took another step towards her with a growl.

“Oh yes... TARDIS...” she rolled the word around on her tongue and the Doctor took a dive towards her, but she dodged him. “You'll have to catch me first!”

“Is that a challenge, Rose Tyler?”

“I rather think it might be, Doctor Noble...”

“Then there's only one word left to say to you...” They were prowling around each other, Rose keeping just out of reach.

“Oh yeah? What's that then?”

“Run!”


	28. Chapter 28

The move to Sussex had been a little bit unsettling for Rose, she was getting too used to her surroundings in Wapping, the Doctor reflected. Too used to their day in day out routine and although he wanted her to feel secure, he also wanted her to crave adventure and have a thirst for discovering new things.

His flat had been leased, he hadn't wanted to lay down roots, had been planning on going travelling in the long term so it was hard to prise Rose out of the empty place as she had had the only happy times she could remember as an adult living here.

But finally they were in the cottage and the growing TARDIS was sitting on the landing.

“Why there?” asked Rose as she took a box into their bedroom (once the spare room).

“Because she needs to feel central to the house, if she's to bond with us and with it entirely.”

“Isn't the kitchen supposed to be the heart of the home?”

“Not in this house...” he grinned at her, his eyebrows twitching and she felt her insides pool.

“How do you do that?”

“What?”

“You know what, is it some sort of super Time Lord power?”

“No, Rose, it's cos I'm a sexy beast and you find me very desirable,” he smirked grabbing her round the waist.

“Yoo hoo! Hello? The doors open, I just don't want to interrupt, er.. anything!” Laura's voice sailed up the stairs and the Doctor groaned and rolled his eyeballs. Rose giggled.

“We're up here, hang on, I'm on my way down!” she answered and with a quick kiss left the Doctor to it.

He stood on the landing and glanced down at the coral, “I suppose I should be grateful that she has a distraction so I can spend some time on you?” The TARDIS to be rumbled in his head like a puppy jumping up at him. He pulled his Sonic from his pocket and started to go through the usual checks.

*********

“But he's so clean cut and bright and handsome. And... and clever... he seems quite a bit older than you in some ways though...” Laura was sipping a mug of tea and grinning at Rose over it.

“Daniel seems all right... you been together long?”

“Childhood sweethearts, he's all right... rough and ready, got oil ingrained under his finger nails, you know, not exactly the life of glamour?” 

“But you're happy? You love him, he treats you well?”

“I'm happy, he doesn't treat me badly, I just get bored sometimes, but not of him.”

“I don't think I could ever get bored, not with the Doctor...” Rose gazed off into space, her eyes thinking of something entirely private. Laura snorted in her tea.

“You're virtually transparent, Rose... is he that good?”

“I'm sure I don't know what you mean...” Rose answered demurely a flush starting on her neck and quickly spreading up to her face. She grinned wickedly at Laura and winked.

“That's as much as I'm gonna get, ain't it?”

“Well you know a Tyler never kisses and tells, right?” The two women grinned at each other stupidly. 

It was probably the most intimate conversation Rose had ever had with a woman in all her adult life. She felt a bond towards her cousin that she didn't really understand, but that she liked.

“So, what happened with Bonnie after?” asked Laura

“She's out of that house...”

“And did you put it up for sale?”

“No, we decided against it. Renovations are in progress, we're hoping to make it into a safe house. A hostel of sorts... for people who need somewhere safe to stay in a hurry.”

“People?”

“It's not just women who get trapped in abusive relationships. Men and whole families do too... we're hoping to make a number of self contained apartments and a communal residence, depends on planning permission.”

“You got an architect, then?”

“No, no need, Hamilton sent the plans of the house over to the Doctor and we've been working it out ever since. He's quite brilliant, I'm learning so much from him.

“And Bonnie?”

“I instructed Hamilton to help her find somewhere, she's not going to be a problem.”

“You helped her? Blimey, Rose, you're a better woman than me!”

“If I hadn't it would have made me no better than Jimmy.... I'm not the sort of person who kicks a dog when it's down. I want to be the sort of person who helps it up. With Dad's money I can help people, so I started with Bonnie, just another victim.”

All the while they were talking the odd buzzing of a sonic screwdriver from upstairs reverberated down from the landing accompanied by the soft crooning of the Doctor's voice.

“What is that noise and who's he talking to?” Laura asked finally.

“The Doctor, oh, he's putting up some shelves... it's probably Mickey getting in the way...”

“Mickey's been asleep on my lap since you put the kettle on.”

“Ah well, talking to himself then...”

“He sounds like he's being very gentle with himself, sounds like he's talking to a chi.... Rose, you're not keeping anything from me, are you?”

“We don't have a secret hidden baby, Laura, the Doctor does sometimes speak to himself when he's working, he's probably keeping it low in the hopes we don't hear him...”

“Hear me what?” At this point the Doctor came into the room checking the temperature of the teapot and taking his favourite mug out of a box on the side.

“We can hear you working up there.”

“Ah... right... weell....” He turned abruptly, not sure how to explain what he was up to to Laura.

“I said that sometimes you need to talk to yourself when you're doing DIY, have you finished putting those shelves up?”

“Shelves? Oh yes... shelves, all done...” The Doctor winked at Rose and Laura shook her head.

“I'm not going to ask... listen, it's quiz night down the pub, Danny and I wanted to know if you wanted to make up a team? We could introduce you to everyone, should be a laugh, what do you say?”

“Well.. I... “ Rose began, looking very unsure, but was interrupted by the Doctor.

“Rose is still adjusting to her freedom and still in mourning, so a whole evening might not be such a good idea. It's entirely up to her what she decides, but I think that a couple of drinks might be more of a goal than a whole evening socialising. I hope that doesn't sound controlling?” The latter was said as an afterthought.

“You've got my best interests at heart and I agree, just wasn't sure how to word it without sounding rude.”

“It's fine, I should have thought... I'm just so excited to have you here... want to show you off... everyone is related to everyone here, well it feels like it, I've always been the odd one out.”

“Well, not any more, but let me go at my own pace, yeah?”

“Yes, of course...”

“Besides, me in a quiz team? Absolutely no point,” added the Doctor without thinking.

“Yeah? Why is that?” Laura looked at him perplexed.

“I'm brilliant, there'd be no contest.”

“He's a bit... your Doctor, ain't he?”

“His name's Sigmund, and yes, he is, very...” Laura guffawed at the name and the Doctor seemed to visibly pale.

“I can't help being brilliant,” he almost whined.

“I best be off, might see you later down The Lamb, yeah?” Laura gently placed the little dog down and stood.

“We might come down later, Laura... thanks for popping in.” And with that, Rose and the Doctor were alone.

“What did I do?”

“That was rude, Doctor, it doesn't matter how brilliant you are, you can't go around telling people you're cleverer than they are. You'll alienate the whole village before we've even got to know any of them!” Rose scolded him but he could see the amusement on her face and he grinned at her. “What?” she asked.

“Look at you, telling me off, makes me very proud that you have the confidence to do so!”

“Stop changing the subject...”

“Come here...”

“Don't order me about...” They were both grinning stupidly at each other.

“All right... come with me...” He put a hand out to her and, melting, she went to him, took his hand and he led her to the stairs.

“Is this what life is always gonna be like now?” she asked as she followed him up and he turned to her with a sly grin.

“Oh yes!” His eyes were shining as he led her to their new bedroom.

**********

A long while later, Rose passed the little coral on the landing and stopped. She was wearing a baggy t shirt and her hair was all fluffed up.

“Doctor?”

“Mmm...?” It was a lazy, contended sound coming from the depths of their room.

“It's trying to communicate with me and it's making me feel guilty, why is that?” There was a silence and a moment later the Doctor was standing unclothed beside her.

“I keep telling you she's a she... she does seem to get very chatty around you, can't think why...”

“Well, firstly, how do you know it's a she? And secondly, I do think you know why, it does sound angry at me, calmed down now your here and do you think it's appropriate to be naked by it?”

“Rose... she's a she, all TARDIS are and she's very young, wants all the attention, so when you're distracting me...” he tailed off waiting for the penny to drop, which it promptly did.

“She's jealous of me?”

“Only a little, remember when Mickey wouldn't let me on our bed?”

“But he's a dog!”

“It's early days and this is the second time I've moved her in a month... she'll love you when she gets to know you... you'll bond with her, just talk to her and include her sometimes.”

“You want me to talk to it?”

“Rose...”

“Her... you want me to talk to... her?”

“Would it do any harm?”

“I suppose not but, I mean, it doesn't even have a face...”

“She.”

“She doesn't have a face.”

“She has a growing mind... think of it like a pregnant couple talking to their unborn baby. She's receptive and she'll get to know who you are.”

“I get the feeling she already knows who I am, you sure that other Rose Tyler had nothing to with her?”

“She's a cutting from the old TARDIS, they knew each other very well, I'm sorry.”

“Would she recognise me because of that?”

“It's possible, but distant, is that okay?”

“From what you've told me, you're a cutting from her boyfriend, who am I to complain?”

“Rose Tyler, I love you.” He pulled her into his arms and began to kiss her, his nakedness responding eagerly. Rose pulled back spluttering. “What?”

“Not here... can't you hear her? She's shouting at me!”

“You two are very receptive to one another, that's a good sign.” Rose was looking down at the Doctor's burgeoning excitement and couldn't help a dirty grin forming on her full lips.

“It's an even better sign seeing how receptive you are to me..” she whispered and slipped out of his grip and ran into the bathroom. It was a beat before he followed her. 

The Doctor cooked chilli that evening and as they tucked into it Rose reminded the Doctor of his promise to take her somewhere hot, not just to feed her something hot.

“What I don't see is how are you going to able to leave... the coral.”

“I told you, she's about to start her second growth cycle, when that happens she won't need any interaction. She'll just need to be left to get on with it.”

“And how long will that take?”

“I'm taking you away for two months, Rose, I want to show you as many beautiful parts of the world that I can, but sometimes it's just difficult getting out of our bed!”

“They call it the honey moon period, I've heard, you can't leave here for two months! What about the dog, the plants, the garden?”

“Laura seems to quite like Mickey and she looked after the house before us, sure she wouldn't mind while we're gone.”

“But what about your little experiment up there? I take it you don't want her polishing it?”

“She won't even see it, it when she enters the next cycle I'll be setting her chameleon circuit, that's her disguise. She can adjust herself to her surroundings so no one notices her.”

Rose sat at the island in the kitchen as she watched him cooking and pondered this new information. An invisible ship. It sounded like all sorts of wrong right there. What if they were stuck out in space somewhere and couldn't find it? But she didn't voice this, that could come later when it was relevant.

“So where are you taking me first?” she asked and when he turned to answer his eyes were shining with excitement.


	29. Chapter 29

He was watching her sleeping again, she was lying on the bow of the boat they had hired. Asleep in the sun, glistening from the oils he had insisted on lathering all over her. He had finally persuaded her to don the bikini he'd bought her and she looked magnificent in it. 

It had been five months since he had pulled her out of the grasp of Jimmy Stone and this curvy, blonde goddess was hardly the same woman. The sun had streaked her hair and her skin tones were a natural gold that were turning a wonderful shade of brown as she tanned. She had filled out in all the right places due to a very healthy diet as prescribed by her Doctor. The horrible tattoo she had been so afraid of revealing to the world was nothing but a distant memory now. She looked peaceful and content and he couldn't remember being happier.

This was the last day of their extended holiday and he didn't want it to be over. She had been a bit tearful at the thought of going home too and he had promised her that they could go travelling permanently once the TARDIS was ready. They could sort out all their material possessions and leave for as long as they wished. There would be no pull back, just a cousin who Rose had spent very little time with since childhood.

“ 'you gawping at?” Her lazy, sleepy voice made him jump.

“You, you're so sexy.”

“I was just thinking about being all the way out here... nobody about...”

“Oh?” His interest was sparked instantly as Rose pulled herself up onto her elbows and looked at him over her sunglasses.

“And getting all these white marks...” He grinned as she sat up fully and raised an eyebrow over the dark lenses.

“I find them sexy, but I find you sexy any way... every way... take it off then... if you want to...” Rose needed no more prompting as she undid the bow that held her breasts within the little triangular pieces of material. The white mounds bounced free. “You'll need a high factor on those...”

“Yeah?” She grinned and licked her lips as he began to prowl towards her, bottle in hand. She giggled and undid the bows at her hips, he faltered. “No sense in doing things by halves...” she purred and whipped the little knickers out from underneath her.

“You're putting on quite a show, Rose Tyler,”

“Only for you, Doctor... always for you...”

Within moments, they were both nude and smeared in lotion, slipping over each other.

The rest of the afternoon was spent much this way until the chill of the evening took them down to the double cabin where they slept until it was dark.

The trip he'd taken her on had covered a great deal of Europe and Asia and they had seen many wonderful sights, visited many wonderful places, some that Rose had heard of and some that she had not. The Doctor had taken time in showing her, explaining the intricate histories and traditions. It had been interesting, educational and very bonding. However, there had been no hint of adventure and, although in a way, he was glad of that and she was oblivious to its absence, he was even more excited about the prospect of getting out amongst the stars. To show this woman experiences beyond her imagination was like an addiction and he wasn't sure if it was right that he should feel this way.

“Penny for 'em?” It was a whispered question in the half dark of their cabin and he turned to her, surprised that she was already awake.

“I was just thinking about echoes...” He turned on his side to face her, their noses were practically touching.

“Echoes?”

“Him and her... they loved to travel the stars, find adventure... got into all sorts of trouble... it's addictive. I still remember how it felt...”

“You miss it?”

“I do... and I don't know if that's wrong.”

“Seems to me like you want to share it with me, I mean, I feel sort of left out. You've experienced something so amazing out there that some of these wonderful places we've visited must have become almost boring to you.”

“I'll never be bored with you,” He pulled her into his arms and she slid easily into them. (They would always be a perfect fit not matter what form they came in.) “But sometimes, it can be dangerous, Jimmy Stone wasn't dangerous in that way, he was small-fry and nasty... I don't want to put you in any danger.”

“Doctor, I don't want to keep you trapped on Earth... you might resent it one day and I couldn't bear it if you resented me, resented us, because of it.”

“I would never...” Her hand was on his mouth, silencing him.

“Your memories share something with her that I cannot be party to, that I cannot compete with. I want to do this, it's a choice, my choice. We'll just have to make sure we look after each other. You can't wrap me in cotton wool forever, if you do, it still makes me a kind of prisoner, doesn't it?” She moved her hand from his mouth and he made no response to her question. His eyes, so old and sad at this moment, studied her face in the semi-darkness. She smiled at him shyly and eventually he nodded slowly in agreement and kissed her.

**********

It was kind of exciting arriving back at the thatched cottage, wondering what was in store from his experiment upstairs. All was quiet as they entered the hall together and they looked at each other, him with eager anticipation and her just enjoying the look upon his face.

“You go...” he said finally and she shook her head vehemently.

“No... it's your work... you must...” But he interrupted her.

“I daren't look... what if it didn't work?”

“Well, you know it will have... don't doubt yourself now, Doctor... okay, okay... I'll go and see...”

He didn't look in the least bit worried as she climbed the staircase and disappeared onto the landing.

“Doctor... there's nothing here... just oh... it can't be... there's a...”

“What?” He was at her side having silently climbed the stairs at her first word.

“That door wasn't there before...was it?”

“No.” He was smiling from ear to ear, but she didn't notice, she was too busy staring at the new door on the landing. It was exactly the same as all the others, looked like it had always been there, in fact if Rose turned to look at him, as she did now, it almost seemed to not be there at all. She had to concentrate hard on keeping it there. “Open it...” he breathed softly into her ear, making her jump a little.

She put her hand slowly to the knob and turned it. It swung open to reveal a huge open space. In the centre was a column filled with lights.

“It's... a new room?” she asked puzzled and he took her hand and pulled her inside. The door creaked comfortingly behind them.

The room was almost circular, it pulsed through Rose frightening and exciting her in equal measures. It was huge, it seemed to echoed around them. The Doctor made his way up a ramp that led from the doorway. The floor was iron grating and Rose could clearly see a fathom of space beneath it when she knew sensibly it should be looking into their cosy sitting room.

She stood by the door, open-mouthed as the Doctor strolled up to the column. Now she could see a dashboard of controls circling the column and the Doctor confidently hitting switches as if he were born to do such a thing. He looked taller, broader... more alien than Rose had seen him so far.

He turned to her and smiled. “This is our TARDIS, Rose, it worked... come here...” He put out a hand to her and she stared at his wiggling fingers for a brief moment before slowly joining him by the console. “It's a lot to take in, I know,”

“So, this is like a... control room?”

“Exactly, there will be rooms growing, a bedroom, a bathroom, a galley, a medical room, but this is the bare bones for now... she's doing wonderfully...”

“But she's not ready?”

“Not for long haul, but she should be ready for her maiden voyage in a few days. Gives us time to sort everything out, get some supplies... are you not ready?”

“What?”

“I'm sensing doubt...”

“No... it's just a bit daunting... all this space, I wasn't expecting... I mean ...how?”

“Time Lord science... makes it bigger on the inside... what were you expecting?”

“I honestly have no idea... this is a room... I think... I suppose... I thought it would be like a space ship. You know like in Star Wars or something...”

“I suppose I should have explained her a bit more, I wasn't sure what I was going to end up with so it was difficult to do that. This is a way of travelling, Rose, but it's like no other and to compare her to the Millennium Falcon is way off. I mean, not that that piece of fiction wasn't impressive, however, as far as a TARDIS is concerned there is no comparison. It's not the same sort of thing. She's far more than just a vehicle to get us from A to B, she's a home, a nurse, a friend. She's family in a way.”

“So which of us will be the third wheel?” Rose was joking but the Doctor turned to her, shocked. 

“I explained about her being sentient, Rose. She's not going to be part of us.”

“I was joking, Doctor. However, I think that it's going to take me a while to learn, to understand.”

“Yes, and her too. I'll have to learn what she's capable of. They aren't all alike, each has their own personality.”

Rose began to wander about the large space and he followed a little reluctant to leave the controls but as curious as her to discover what this space had to offer.

“What's that?” Rose could make out a large gap in the wall.

“Beginnings of a corridor... that's where the rooms will be growing, she's working on access to them.”

“They're already growing?”

“Oh yes, she'll have taken images from our heads and started interpreting them, probably way back when we were still in the flat.”

“She's inside my head?”

“Not all the time, but that's how TARDISes work... telepathically... is that okay?”

“Yeah... just weird... but this whole thing is weird, something more to get used to.”

“Rose Tyler... can I just say? I love you.”

“I love you too, Sigmund Noble.”

**********

And so, over the next few days they began to organise themselves. Properties were to be looked after and they both decided it would be best to tell Hamilton and Laura the truth so they could look after everything for them. Hamilton barely batted an eyelid but drew up many documents giving him the right to attorney all the assets. They decided to sell both Jackie's and Pete's London residences. His flat was going to be kept for occasional use. They also gave Laura a key to it, so she could go to the capitol whenever she wanted. The plans for the Mansion were going on full steam ahead and Hamilton had already taken the overseeing of that while they were abroad. It was also decided that Mickey was to stay with Laura, he was happy and she had grown very attached to him.

“Rose...” The Doctor called her from the top of the stairs a few days later and she found him, as usual these days, in the huge room that now seemed to be growing a set of beams from the central pillar . “Come and see...” His eyes were glowing with excitement and although she didn't feel quite as enthusiastic as he, it was sometimes a little contagious.

The corridor was fast establishing and now doorways were visible along it. To the right and at the very end there was a door, the only door to have grown so far. 

“Open it...” he said softly at her shoulder in a mirror of a few days previously on discovering the new TARDIS herself.

Rose opened the door and gasped. It was a little room, a total bomb site of hoarded stuff. There was everything there that Rose hadn't expected and so much more.

Boxes spilling out, pictures and clothes and stuffed toys. Shelves holding precious mementos, pictures both she and Tony had drawn or painted. The album of her parents wedding day. 

All Rose could remember from her childhood was kept in that little room, in fact, it was an exact replica of the little room they had discovered In Jackie's sumptuous and sterile apartment.

“I found this yesterday and got Hamilton to organise bringing all this stuff up. Told you I'd try and incorporate it here.”

Rose was speechless, moved almost to tears that she didn't want to shed and wasn't sure how to express other than flinging her arms around her lover's neck and snogging the living daylights out of him, which she did. 

This embrace must have had some impact on the growing TARDIS because as they walked back out of the corridor, one of the rooms, it was clear to see, had suddenly incorporated a large bed.

“Cheeky minx...” muttered the Doctor with some pride as he held tightly to Rose's hand.

*********

A few more days later and they were ready, they had said their goodbyes and packed a few essentials. It was their maiden voyage so weren't sure where this first journey might take them. They had had a long discussion about taking this first step together. The Doctor had wanted to keep Rose safe and take the journey on his own, but Rose had lost her temper completely. If he was putting himself in danger, then she was adamant she was going to be right alongside him. If he didn't come back, or worse, she would break in two.

He agreed, albeit reluctantly, after a couple of rather uncomfortable days. The make-up sex had been almost worth all the arguments. And he was very happy deep down that Rose was comfortable enough to not just agree as she would have done six months previously.

So, finally, the door was shut tight and they were both stood at the console grinning from ear to ear. He dotted in some random and what he thought were safe coordinates and nodded to her to place her hand on his so they could move the lever together.

The central column began to piston, the noise picked up all around them. 

Rose found it all very exciting and turned to him, laughing. 

It wasn't till she saw his face that she realised something had gone seriously wrong.


End file.
